Brake (carriage)

Types

• The skeleton break was used for training and was not much more than the undercarriage plus a seat. It was used with two horses, one younger horse and one more experienced horse to teach the young one to pull correctly.
• The body break, essentially a large wagonette, was a general purpose country vehicle. It added an extra one or two seats and was used to exercise horses or used at times when the road coach or drag would be too "dressy".
• The roof seat break had seating for six, drawn by a four-in-hand. Similar to a charabanc, it was so-named for the seating at the same level as sitting on the roof of a coach. Occasionally called a sporting break, it was used to transport groups of friends to sporting events such as horse races.
• The shooting break and hunting break carried a shooting party and their gun dogs and was drawn by a single horse or pair.

There was no specific naming convention for carriage types, or from one country to another, or across time. Sometimes similar carriages had more than one name, or the same name might be used for two entirely dissimilar carriages. Carriages were named after their designer, builder, shape, or purpose. The word break or brake was one such carriage term that was widely used. As such, the above variations and descriptions are the main ones in general use without attempting to define every variant or diversity of use.

File:Alfred G. Vanderbilt driving a four in hand to a break.jpg|Skeleton break driven by Alfred G. Vanderbilt, File:Evans' brake NLW3362830.jpg|Body break, File:Roof Seat Break Véierspänner.jpg|Roof seat break (Belgium, 2007)

Notes

References

References

1. Carlisle, Lilian Baker. (1956). "The Carriages at Shelburne Museum". [[Shelburne Museum]].
2. "Roof-seat Break or Char-a-banc : The Seabrook Coaching Stable Dispersal Auction".
3. Smith, D.J.M.. (1988). "A Dictionary of Horse Drawn Vehicles". J. A. Allen & Co. Ltd..
4. Walrond, Sallie. (1979). "The Encyclopaedia of Driving". Country Life Books.