Koning Winter: Let It Snow! (deel 6)

A snowstorm has brought public life in New York and other eastern US states to a standstill. Tens of thousands of households are required to stay home and are unable to travel. There is also no power. In some places, about 30 to 60 centimeters of snow is said to have fallen. Have you been to the USA or New York recently? In any case, the weather is suitable for heading out with the sled for some snow fun. Do you know the history of the sled?

Sled

A sleigh is a horse-drawn vehicle on sleds, suitable for travel over snow or ice, and is pulled by one or more horses. Sleighs are used for winter transport, agricultural work, and recreation. They were traditionally used in regions with long winters as a practical means of transport and remain culturally associated with winter travel and festive traditions. Sleighs differ from sleds, which are typically a low, heavy platform for transporting loads over all surfaces, not just snow and ice.

 

Design

Horse-drawn sleighs consist of a frame or platform mounted on sleds, usually made of wood and fitted with metal. The sleds curve upward at the front to prevent them from sinking into the snow. On top of the sleds is the frame, which can be open or partially enclosed and typically provides seating for one or more passengers. Construction materials vary from simple wooden frames to richly decorated frames with upholstery, paintwork, and metal finishes.

Sleds are pulled by one or more horses using a harness attached to shafts or a drawbar. The designs range from simple flat platforms for transporting goods to light passenger vehicles. Because sleds and the pounding of hooves on snow make almost no sound, bells are often attached to the harness so that people can be warned of approaching vehicles.

 

Variations

A cutter is a type of North American sled, lightweight, with a single seat for two people and pulled by one horse. It has a high, S-shaped, curved sled. The term was first used in the United States around 1800. The Albany and Portland cutters were the most popular and were frequently copied. A double sled had two seats for four people, and sleds for six people were also built in the style of Albany and Portland.

Bobrunners are sleds used to convert an ordinary coach or wagon into a winter sled vehicle by replacing each wheel with bobrunners. A bobsled is a sled (composite sleds and platform); two were placed one behind the other under the body of the vehicle, giving the entire vehicle the informal name “bobsled,” also known as a double sled. Both variants are sometimes simply called bobs.

A booby hut or Boston booby is an enclosed sled made with a coach or wagon body suspended from sled guides by means of leather crossbars; a term from New England. A troika is a Russian method of harnessing three horses side by side to a sled or a wheeled wagon.

 

Historical context

Early sleds were simple platforms on runners, which later evolved into sophisticated passenger vehicles with curved runners, enclosed bodies, and decorative elements. Sleds were easier to build than carriages and, because they had no wheels or springs, they were cheaper to manufacture.

For centuries, sleds were common in Northern Europe and Scandinavia, where snowy terrain made wheeled vehicles impractical in winter. In Russia, enclosed winter vehicles such as the vozok provided transport for nobles, clergy, and officials across the plains of Muscovy. In Europe and North America, sleds served as essential winter transport for families, clergy, merchants, and postal workers. Sledding became a social pastime, and sled races developed into a popular winter sport. The sound of sled bells—attached to the harness as an audible safety signal—became strongly associated with winter travel.

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The widespread introduction of plowed roads and motor vehicles in the 20th century led to the decline of the daily use of sleds, although they are still used for ceremonial and recreational purposes.

 

Modern use

Sleds are currently used for:

• Fun, including motorsports
• Tourist sleigh rides in winter resorts
• Ceremonial events, parades, festivals and holidays.
• Re-enactments, historical demonstrations, and programs that bring history to life.
• The preservation of antique sleds by museums and private collectors.
• Winter work, such as leading livestock to the pasture.

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Sleds occupy a prominent place in folklore and winter iconography, particularly in depictions of Santa Claus and his reindeer-drawn sleigh. Sleigh bells have also influenced music and cultural imagery, and appear in winter songs and celebrations.

 

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