The whole history of mankind is inextricably linked with horses. In particular, horse-drawn transport has always been of great importance, which in some regions has retained its importance to this day.
The most important role was played by this type of transport throughout the continuation of the formation of our state, which spreads over vast expanses. However, what is meant by this concept? In this case, transport is the transportation of goods using the muscular strength of animals harnessed to carts. Historically, these animals were understood to be horses, but oxen, donkeys and mules were actively involved in transportation.
Horses were used not only in field work, but also in the delivery of goods from one end of the country to the other. The army was especially dependent on transport supplies, which, owing to its vast expanses, urgently needed not only fast delivery of orders and instructions of the command, but also high-quality and timely supplies. It should be noted that initially horse-drawn transport was always run by coachmen, but the state so urgently needed supplies of products that soon the peasantry began to be actively involved in this process.
A special role in the development of this transport in our country belongs to the Siberians. It was Siberia, rich in resources, for its development, which urgently needed a full-fledged and well-organized transport system that could cover the gigantic needs of a large and rapidly developing country. However, this circumstance gave a strong impetus to the development of animal husbandry, since a large number of mounts were annually spent on the needs of carriers.
Cartage was especially demanded on the haul between Tomsk and Irkutsk: several million pounds of cargo of various nature and purpose were transported here annually. Since the population of the region was growing rapidly in those years, the demand for goods from the European part of the Empire grew just as rapidly. On the contrary, an increasing amount of tea was required in the Central Region, the transportation of which was so rapid by the beginning of the 1900s that by then the weight of the tea leaf transported across the Chinese border had already exceeded one million pounds!
After the Revolution, the importance of horse-drawn carts only intensified, since the constant horse-riding campaigns of the armies required a large number of draft animals, which could be used not only under the saddle, but also in transporting a large number of goods. It was at that time that the technology of rapid change of horses was developed, which made it possible to transport 25 centners of cargo in one wagon! Replaceable carts were taken after several kilometers, as a result of which, during daylight hours, coachmen managed to transport impressive volumes of payloads even in modern times.
However, due to the absence of large stud farms at the time, exclusively peasant horses were used. This gave all transportations a pronounced seasonality, as it froze during the sowing life on the roads. In our country, horse-drawn transport began to take its positions only after the Great Patriotic War, when the production of trucks in the right amount was established in the USSR.
