A buggy refers to a lightweight four-wheeled carriage drawn by a single horse, though occasionally by two. Amish buggies are still regularly in use on the roadways of America. The word "buggy" has become a generic term for "carriage" in America.
Historically, in England a buggy was a two-wheeled vehicle.
A buggy is a four-wheeled American carriage made on a rectangular pattern, the body resembling a shallow box. There is a vertical leather dash with a metal rein rail on top. A single seat for two people is mounted in the middle of the box leaving room behind the seat for luggage. It is suspended by two sideways elliptic springs, one over the front axle and the other over the rear axle. The wheels are near equirotal, with the front wheels slightly smaller than the rear. Its turning radius is large, achieving only a quarter-lock before the front wheels touch the sides of the buggy body. There were many varieties built, such as adding a collapsible hood. The auto seat buggy had a curved seat similar to early motor cars. [1] : 5–6, 10 [2] : 113
The simple and lightweight American buggy was mass-produced, manufactured inexpensively, sold at modest prices, and widely distributed through the United States. It became the most common carriage in North America. [2] : 113 According to the Museums at Stony Brook, "Trade journals praised the American system that allowed the production of the 'cheapest and best light vehicles for the money that are produced in the world' and boasted that 'every man among us who can afford to keep a horse can afford to have a good buggy'." [2] : 15
The buggy was so ubiquitous that the word "buggy" became the generic term for "carriage" in the US lexicon.
Other American vehicles patterned on the same "boxy" style include the Surrey (two or more seats, with or without a canopy or hood), and the spring wagon or road wagon (one or more seats, longer body, two elliptic springs on the rear axle instead of one sideways spring).
In the 21st century, the buggy is still used as normal, everyday means of transportation by Anabaptists like the Amish, parts of the Old Order Mennonites, a few Old Order River Brethren and parts of the German-speaking "Russian" Mennonites in Latin America but also by the Old Order German Baptist Brethren and Old Brethren German Baptists (both are conservative Schwarzenau Brethren). [3] The different styles of their buggies and the colors of the tops (black, grey, brown, yellow, white) can be used to distinguish one community from another, and even become part of a group's identity. [4] [5]
The Amish continue to manufacture buggies for their daily transportation; both open and enclosed designs are made. The open design is similar to how buggies across America have been made for well over a century. [1] : 6 The enclosed version is unique to their communities and is enclosed on three sides with leather screens or rolldown blinds. Amish buggies are usually fitted with lamps for night driving and are driven by a single horse, [6] predominantly Standardbreds. [7]
Parry and Walrond (both 1979) tell us that in England a gig fitted with a folding leather hood was sometimes called a buggy. [8] [1] : 91, 158, 174 According to William Felton (1796), a buggy is a chaise made to carry a single person. [9] Adams (1837) suggests "Buggy", along with Stanhope and Tilbury, is one of the few English-named carriages, compared to the many French named carriage types such as Cabriolet and Vis-à-vis. [10]
A cart or dray is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by draught animals such as horses, donkeys, mules and oxen, or even smaller animals such as goats or large dogs.
A carriage is a two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for passengers. In Europe they were a common mode of transport for the wealthy during the Roman Empire, and then again from around 1600 until they were replaced by the motor car around 1900. They were generally owned by the rich, but second-hand private carriages became common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping or, on those made in recent centuries, steel springs. There are numerous names for different types. Two-wheeled carriages are usually owner-driven.
A wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draft animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people.
A brougham is a 19th century four-wheeled carriage drawn by a single horse. It was named after the politician and jurist Lord Brougham, who had this type of carriage built to his specification by London coachbuilder Robinson & Cook in 1838.
A covered wagon, also called a prairie wagon, whitetop, or prairie schooner, is a horse-drawn or ox-drawn wagon used for passengers or freight hauling. It has a canvas, tarpaulin, or waterproof sheet which is stretched over removable wooden bows and lashed to the body of the wagon. They were a popular style of vehicle for overland migrations.
A britzka or britschka is a type of horse-drawn carriage. What was originally an open wagon in Poland and Eastern Europe, became a passenger vehicle in Austria and was exported to Western Europe where it became popular as a travelling carriage. The carriage had four wheels, a long body with two seats, and a folding hood over the rear seat. The body could be converted to sleep two people full length. There was an elevated seat for the driver in front and a rear platform with a rumble seat for servants
A curricle is a light two-wheeled carriage drawn by two horses abreast. Usually open with a falling hood, it seats two people, plus a liveried groom on a seat or small platform between the rear springs—whose weight might be required to properly balance the carriage. Curricles are harnessed with a pole between the horses, and have an iron crossbar which rests over the harness saddle and supports the weight of the pole. The lightweight "swept" body is hung from a pair of outsized swan-neck cee-springs at the rear, with a minimal dashboard and a pair of lamps in front. For park driving, such as in the Bois de Boulogne or along the seafront at Honfleur, two liveried mounted grooms might follow.
A chaise, sometimes called shay, is a light two-wheeled carriage for one or two people. It may also have a folding hood. The coachmaker William Felton (1796) considered chaises a family of vehicles which included all two-wheel one-horse vehicles such as gigs and whiskies, whereas a similar carriage pulled by two-horses was considered a curricle.
A gig is a light, two-wheeled open carriage with large wheels, a forward facing seat, and shafts for a single horse. The gig's body is constructed above the shafts, and it is entered from step-irons hanging from the shaft in front of the wheels. Gigs are enclosed at the back, and have luggage space under the cross-seat. Early gigs were crude and unsprung; later gigs were elegant for town driving and were constructed with springs. The term "gig" is short for "whirligig".
A horse-drawn vehicle is a piece of equipment pulled by one or more horses. These vehicles typically have two or four wheels and were used to carry passengers or a load. They were once common worldwide, but they have mostly been replaced by automobiles and other forms of self-propelled transport but are still in use today.
A lorry or lorrie was a low flat horse-drawn vehicle with no sides, related to the trolley and dray.
A marathon carriage is a modern metal carriage that is used for driving competitions, especially combined driving. It is named after the cross-country phase of a combined driving event which, though inaccurate, became known as the "marathon" phase. The carriage is designed for safety and carries a driver plus one or two assistants, called grooms. Drivers direct the horses while grooms counterbalance the carriage on tight turns, and are available for assistance with the horses in case of an overturn or collision, or equipment malfunction.
A coach is a large, closed, four-wheeled, passenger-carrying vehicle or carriage usually drawn by two or more horses controlled by a coachman, a postilion, or both. A coach has doors in its sides and a front and a back seat inside. The driver has a raised seat in front of the carriage to allow better vision. It is often called a box, box seat, or coach box. There are many types of coaches depending on the vehicle's purpose.
A droshky or drosky is a term used for a four-wheeled open carriage used especially in Russia. The vehicle has a long bench on which the driver or passengers sit as if on a saddle, either astride or sideways. From droga, the pole that connects the front and rear axles.
Stanhope refers to the Stanhope Gig, one of several English carriages named after its designer the Hon. Fitzroy Stanhope, a sportsman.
Volante is a two-wheeled open carriage with a retractable hood that was popular in Cuba in the mid-1800s. The vehicle was directed by a postilion rider. The large wheels are positioned behind the seat and are over 6 feet in diameter with an 8.5 inch hub. Most of the volantes were imported to Cuba from England, France, or the United States.
The use of horses for transportation, either by horseback riding or by driving carriages and wagons on roads, was the primary form of transportation before the advent of automobiles in the late 19th century. However, horses are still used for transport in many parts of the world, including places where certain sects such as the Amish reside. Horses are also ridden on the roads for pleasure, for example travelling from their stables to bridle paths and trails. Equestrians and motorists should take safety precautions to avoid serious accidents when sharing the roadways.
The Groffdale Conference Mennonite Church, also called Wenger Mennonites, is the largest Old Order Mennonite group to use horse-drawn carriages for transportation. Along with the automobile, they reject many modern conveniences, while allowing electricity in their homes and steel-wheeled tractors to till the fields. Initially concentrated in eastern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, their numbers had grown to 22,305 people resided in eight other states as of 2015. They share the pulpit with the Ontario Mennonite Conference but have some differences in Ordnung.
A float is a form of two-wheeled horse-drawn cart, often with a dropped axle to give an especially low load-bed. They were intended for use by deliverymen and the carrying of heavy or unstable items such as milk churns.
A Sjees is a traditional Dutch two-wheeled carriage pulled by one or two horses, which originates from Friesland in the north of Netherlands. Also called a Friesian chaise, it resembles a chaise or gig carriage but with unique regional distinctions. The undercarriage, wooden axle, large wheels, and shafts are usually painted white. The body, which is supported on cee-springs and leather braces, has a curved dash and seats two people. Typically, the body is decorated with elaborate painting, gilding and carvings, and the upholstery is brightly colored velvet or leather.
