Let’s start with travel and how very few of us would survive in a world where we don’t have cars or mass transit. The horse and carriage. There’s a wonderful article on Jane Austen’s World where I found much of my information
According to Antique Coach and Carriages: A horse can easily pull a wheeled vehicle that is six (6) times his own weight, however most carriage horses are used at only 25% of that capacity. A carriage horse averages in weight from 1200lbs to 2300lbs, therefore they are able to pull anywhere from 7200lbs to 13,800lbs.
Inns, ostlers, fresh teams of horses, stables, postillions, and blacksmiths supported travel throughout England, and rivalry for passenger business became intense.
