Choosing the right carriage wheel for rehabilitating your horse

Solid VS Pneumatic wheels on the carriage and their effects on your horse. So needless to say these changes do have an effect on horse when pulling the carriage and will increase or decrease the drag forces on your horse. When we are rehabilitating our horses we want the easiest pull possible.

Pneumatic Tyres are thought to be good for soft surfaces as the thicker tyre allows the wheel to spread and move over the ground rather than being pulled through it. They are filled with air and are thought to give a smoother ride for the driver and backstep.

Solid wheels are thought to be good for hard ground or road surfaces but have a tendency to sink in soft ground which can increase weight and drag. However solid wheels will be "faster" and "lighter" to pull on firmer surfaces such as roads, dry mud and waxed sand surface.

So when rehabilitating a driving horse from injury I would recommend choosing a wheel dependent on the surfaces you will be training on. If you have a rubber/deep sand arena and will be doing road work I would recommend a pneumatic tyre to reduce drag. Whereas if you have a waxed sand area, dry mud or road surface a solid tyre would be preferred.