Certain horse breeds were developed specifically to be driving horses, pulling vehicles, such as carriages, wagons, and sleighs. The horses in these breeds tend to be relatively light, quick, and agile. These light draft horses are not the same as large draft horses that typically pull heavy plows or carts.

Breed Characteristics

Driving horses often have powerful shoulders and hindquarters combined with a strong, broad back, well-sprung ribs, and thick mane and tails. They also need to have stable, reliable feet. It needs to have an amiable temperament with a willingness to please its driver and easy to train to learn voice, rein, and whip commands. Ponies or horses can make suitable driving horses.

Here are 10 driving horse breeds commonly used for pulling carriages and other light vehicles.

Tip

If you’re looking to develop a team of driving horses, first become proficient as a single-horse driver. When forming a team, match speeds and gait, and make sure the horses get along.

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  • American Standardbred
  • Barrett & MacKay / Getty Images
  • The American standardbred is a very popular driving horse breed for both harness racing and pleasure driving. These horses have excellent speed and stamina, and they’re typically friendly and calm. Because they’re already accustomed to the harness and pulling a vehicle, former racing standardbreds can be retrained for pleasure driving.
  • Breed Overview
  • Height: 14 hands (56 inches) to 17 hands (68 inches)Weight: 800 to 1,200 poundsPhysical Characteristics: Thick mane and tail; muscular legs; deep chest; somewhat resembles a thoroughbred
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  • Welsh Pony and Cob
  • MBurger / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Whether you have a 3-foot-tall “type A” Welsh pony (the smallest size category) pulling a tiny cart or a larger cob pulling a two-seater buggy, these equines make wonderful harness animals. They’re generally hardy and easy to maintain. The larger members of the family are also comfortable being saddle-ridden.
  • Breed Overview
  • Height: 11 hands (44 inches) to 16 hands (64 inches)Weight: 400 to 1,200 poundsPhysical Characteristics: Small head; short back; high-set tail
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  • Hackney
  • Johner Images / Getty Images
  • With their high-stepping gait and elegant head carriage, it’s hard to believe hackneys are endangered in some countries. Hackneys were initially bred for riding and were crossed with driving breeds and thoroughbreds for added speed and style. In their heyday, hackneys were valued much like exotic sports cars are today.
  • Breed Overview
  • Height: 14 hands (56 inches) to 16 hands (64 inches)Weight: 1,000 poundsPhysical Characteristics: Muscular build; broad chest; high-set tail
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  • Cleveland Bay
  • Bob Langrish / Getty Images
  • Originating in England, the Cleveland bay is a light draft horse for driving and riding. It was primarily used for farm work and to pull carriages. Members of the royal family have used this breed for competitive driving. Lately, its numbers are dwindling as its usefulness in daily life fades.
  • Breed Overview
  • Height: 16 hands (64 inches) to 17 hands (68 inches)Weight: 1,400 to 1,500 poundsPhysical Characteristics: Bay coat with no white markings except an occasional star on the head; muscular build; deep chest
  • Continue to 5 of 10 below.
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  • Thoroughbred
  • Deanna Quinton Larson / Getty Images
  • Known for their horse racing speed, thoroughbreds are also used in pleasure and competitive driving, especially for events that require swiftness. However, a former racehorse will need extensive retraining by an experienced equestrian for pleasure riding or driving, and sometimes its temperament might not be suitable for the role.
  • Breed Overview
  • Height: 15 hands (60 inches) to 17 hands (68 inches)Weight: 1,000 to 1,300 poundsPhysical Characteristics: Deep chest; lean body; long, flat muscles
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  • Friesian
  • Frans Lemmens / Getty Images
  • The Friesian is a Dutch horse that originated in Friesland, a northern section of the Netherlands. This European breed can trace its lineage to warhorses from the Middle Ages that carried armored knights. Comfortable being ridden or driven, this horse breed has a showy, high-stepping gait and powerful, elegant carriage.
  • Breed Overview
  • Height: 14 hands (56 inches) to 17 hands (68 inches)Weight: 1,200 to 1,400 poundsPhysical Characteristics: Black coat, which may be gradations of true black; the only white marking permitted in a studbook registered horse is a small star; thick, long mane and tail; feathering on lower legs; muscular, compact body
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  • Morgan
  • dcdebs / Getty Images
  • Vermont’s official horse breed, the Morgan is a light workhorse that became popular in colonial New England in the late 1700s. An all-purpose horse, Morgans could plow fields, be ridden during a hunt, and pull the family buggy. They are ideal beginner horses and great family horses under saddle and in harness.
  • Breed Overview
  • Height: 14 hands (56 inches) to 15 hands (60 inches)Weight: 900 to 1,100 poundsPhysical Characteristics: Smooth lines; small ears; expressive eyes; crested neck
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  • French Trotter
  • Kili77 / Wikimedia Commons/ CC By 3.0
  • The athletic French trotter was developed in the 19th century to compete in trotting races. It’s a mix of several breeds that contributed their speed, power, and balanced strides. In 1937, the French Trotter Studbook closed to horses not bred in France. French trotters tend to be calm, gentle, and easy to work with. They’re popular for racing under saddle and in harness.
  • Breed Overview
  • Height: 15 hands (60 inches) to 17 hands (68 inches)Weight: 1,100 to 1,400 poundsPhysical Characteristics: Muscular build; large head; deep chest
  • Continue to 9 of 10 below.
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  • Orlov Trotter
  • Photographs by Maria itina / Getty Images
  • As one of Russia’s most popular horse breeds, the Orlov trotter originated during the 18th century as a hardy harness horse with speed and stamina, and a hereditary fast trot. These horses are generally powerful and agile, and they’re gentle and trainable. They’re often used in harness racing and pulling carriages.
  • Breed Overview
  • Height: 15 hands (60 inches) to 17 hands (68 inches)Weight: 1,000 poundsPhysical Characteristics: Large head; expressive eyes; deep chest; muscular build
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  • Shetland Pony
  • Carina Maiwald / Getty Images
  • The Shetland pony originated in the Shetland Islands, Scotland. Despite their small size, Shetland ponies are pretty powerful and hardy. This breed pulled carts and worked in mines throughout the 19th century. They also gained popularity as driving ponies and companions for children. They are generally very gentle but can be a bit headstrong.
  • Breed Overview
  • Height: 7 hands (28 inches) to 11.5 hands (46 inches)Weight: 400 to 450 poundsPhysical Characteristics: Compact body; broad head; thick neck; short legs; lush mane and tail

American Standardbred

The American standardbred is a very popular driving horse breed for both harness racing and pleasure driving. These horses have excellent speed and stamina, and they’re typically friendly and calm. Because they’re already accustomed to the harness and pulling a vehicle, former racing standardbreds can be retrained for pleasure driving.

Barrett & MacKay / Getty Images

Breed Overview

Height: 14 hands (56 inches) to 17 hands (68 inches)

Welsh Pony and Cob

Whether you have a 3-foot-tall “type A” Welsh pony (the smallest size category) pulling a tiny cart or a larger cob pulling a two-seater buggy, these equines make wonderful harness animals. They’re generally hardy and easy to maintain. The larger members of the family are also comfortable being saddle-ridden.

MBurger / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Height: 11 hands (44 inches) to 16 hands (64 inches)

Hackney

With their high-stepping gait and elegant head carriage, it’s hard to believe hackneys are endangered in some countries. Hackneys were initially bred for riding and were crossed with driving breeds and thoroughbreds for added speed and style. In their heyday, hackneys were valued much like exotic sports cars are today.

Johner Images / Getty Images

Height: 14 hands (56 inches) to 16 hands (64 inches)

Cleveland Bay

Originating in England, the Cleveland bay is a light draft horse for driving and riding. It was primarily used for farm work and to pull carriages. Members of the royal family have used this breed for competitive driving. Lately, its numbers are dwindling as its usefulness in daily life fades.

Bob Langrish / Getty Images

Height: 16 hands (64 inches) to 17 hands (68 inches)

Thoroughbred

Known for their horse racing speed, thoroughbreds are also used in pleasure and competitive driving, especially for events that require swiftness. However, a former racehorse will need extensive retraining by an experienced equestrian for pleasure riding or driving, and sometimes its temperament might not be suitable for the role.

Deanna Quinton Larson / Getty Images

Height: 15 hands (60 inches) to 17 hands (68 inches)

Friesian

The Friesian is a Dutch horse that originated in Friesland, a northern section of the Netherlands. This European breed can trace its lineage to warhorses from the Middle Ages that carried armored knights. Comfortable being ridden or driven, this horse breed has a showy, high-stepping gait and powerful, elegant carriage.

Frans Lemmens / Getty Images

Morgan

Vermont’s official horse breed, the Morgan is a light workhorse that became popular in colonial New England in the late 1700s. An all-purpose horse, Morgans could plow fields, be ridden during a hunt, and pull the family buggy. They are ideal beginner horses and great family horses under saddle and in harness.

dcdebs / Getty Images

Height: 14 hands (56 inches) to 15 hands (60 inches)

French Trotter

The athletic French trotter was developed in the 19th century to compete in trotting races. It’s a mix of several breeds that contributed their speed, power, and balanced strides. In 1937, the French Trotter Studbook closed to horses not bred in France. French trotters tend to be calm, gentle, and easy to work with. They’re popular for racing under saddle and in harness.

Kili77 / Wikimedia Commons/ CC By 3.0

Orlov Trotter

As one of Russia’s most popular horse breeds, the Orlov trotter originated during the 18th century as a hardy harness horse with speed and stamina, and a hereditary fast trot. These horses are generally powerful and agile, and they’re gentle and trainable. They’re often used in harness racing and pulling carriages.

Shetland Pony

The Shetland pony originated in the Shetland Islands, Scotland. Despite their small size, Shetland ponies are pretty powerful and hardy. This breed pulled carts and worked in mines throughout the 19th century. They also gained popularity as driving ponies and companions for children. They are generally very gentle but can be a bit headstrong.

Carina Maiwald / Getty Images

Height: 7 hands (28 inches) to 11.5 hands (46 inches)

Breeds to Avoid

Draft horses have the body structure and calm temperament best suited for pulling, hauling, or driving carriages. Breeds that do not make the most sense for driving carriages are horses that are best suited as riding horses or racehorses. Also, hot-bloods or racehorses like the Akhal-Teke and Arabians tend to be more nervous and energetic than horses more suitable for driving. They need to be able to work well alongside other horses.

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