Turning with a four-horse carriage in the narrow street “du Sabot” was proof of great concentration: “Then, the action of the guides must be combined in such a way that the change of direction can be indicated on the fly, that the horses of the rudder are held at the same time, allowed to turn or rotated as the direction of step is adjusted; finally, the rudder is returned to the straight line that the front horses will have taken again. ” This appears in a report from the 1909 edition of Sport Universel Illustré .

Edwin Howlett was in charge of teaching the delicate maneuvers in the narrow streets. This English-born driver taught carriage driving classes for four-horses, which were well attended. The report then mentions the young American, Miss Marion Hollins, as she follows the instructions of a guide through the Parisian traps, whose great difficulty is shown in the snapshots of the Delton studio…

Even after the arrival of the car, it was still mandatory to obtain a certificate from the Police Station. It wasn’t long ago that women had been allowed to take the test. In addition to their driving skills, they were required to have excellent knowledge of hipology and animal care, the route code, and the streets of Paris and the suburbs. In 1908 less than forty women took the exam.

Know more:

• Sport Universel Illustré of October 1909
• Edwin Howlett
• Mishaps of the circulation transport with horses