Life in the Snow: Horses, Sleds, and Winter Travel
Before modern plows, heated vehicles, and paved roads, winter transformed daily life into a season of challenge and adaptation. For communities that relied on horses for transportation and labor, cold weather and snow did not bring work to a halt. Instead, they reshaped how people traveled, worked, and prepared for the months ahead. From hauling sleds and cutting ice to maintaining winter roads and planning long journeys, horses played a central role in keeping life moving through the harshest conditions of the year.
Horse-drawn sleds were a vital part of winter life and have been used throughout history, remaining useful even today. Their design made them highly versatile, allowing them to haul a wide range of loads while being pulled by a single horse or a team. On farms, sleds were commonly used to transport firewood to the house, carry goods to market, and move supplies around the property. They also provided a source of winter enjoyment, offering sleigh rides and recreation for children and families. While sleds can be pulled across grass or soil in any season, they are especially efficient on snow-covered roads. As little as two inches of well-packed snow could create an ideal surface for sleds to travel.
Working horses faced additional challenges during icy conditions, so many teamsters took steps to improve traction. Horseshoes could be modified in several ways to help prevent slipping. Some were fitted with metal spikes designed to bite into ice, while others had borium plates welded onto the bottom. Borium has a rough, sandpaper-like texture that greatly improves grip, allowing horses to work more safely and confidently on frozen ground.
Winter was also a season of important labor for draft animals, particularly logging and ice harvesting. Horses and oxen are well suited to logging because they can navigate dense forests, tight spaces, and uneven terrain where machinery is impractical or unavailable. Logs harvested during the winter were used as firewood or saved for future construction projects. Many families would spend the warmer months working in the fields, and the winter conditions provided the opportunity for farmers to focus their efforts on the woodlots. Ice harvesting was equally important to winter survival. Communities worked together to cut large blocks of ice from frozen lakes and ponds. These heavy blocks were loaded onto horse-drawn sleds and transported to icehouses for storage. Icehouses were often built partially underground, similar to cellars, to maintain cool temperatures. When they were properly insulated, ice could last well into the summer months! The key to storing ice for such long periods was to ensure that the ice blocks were packed tightly together so that any melting water would refreeze. Gravel floors or drainage systems would often be installed to allow excess water to drain away from stored goods.
Keeping winter roads usable was another job that depended heavily on horses. Snow rollers, large, heavy wooden cylinders, were pulled by teams to pack down snow onroadways. This created a smoother, more solid surface for sled travel and helped fill in the cracks and potholes that were common on early roads, making winter travel safer and more reliable.
Winter travel by horse-drawn team required far more time and preparation than most journeys do today. Although many winter carriages and sleds were enclosed to keep passengers dry and shielded from the wind, they provided no source of heat. To stay warm on long trips, people layered their clothing and carefully planned what they would carry with them. All food and supplies had to be packed in advance, as opportunities to stop along the route were limited. Progress was slow, especially in deep snow or poor weather conditions. Draft horses typically walked at speeds of one to three miles per hour, and even when trotting on paved roads, they could only maintain speeds of about seven miles per hour for short periods. As a result, a journey that takes 25 minutes today could easily stretch into an eight-hour trip when traveling by horse-drawn team.
Winter life in the past depended heavily on the strength, endurance, and reliability of horses. From hauling sleds and harvesting ice to maintaining roads and transporting travelers, horses made it possible for communities to function during the coldest months of the year. The careful preparation, skilled teamwork, and deep understanding of both animals and environment highlight the resourcefulness of earlier generations. By examining winter travel and work through the lens of horse-powered life, we gain a greater appreciation for the challenges and ingenuity that shaped everyday life before modern technology.