How to Become a Carriage Driver

Learn how to drive a carriage and handle horses. Take lessons from veteran carriage drivers on how to properly train a horse, tack him up and drive him. Go to other carriage stables and either pay to take lessons from a veteran or arrange a work agreement where you work for him and get lessons in return. Get comfortable with everything from catching the horse, cleaning his hooves, grooming him, bathing him, tacking him up, feeding him and giving him de-wormer. You'll also need to learn about loading him in a trailer, leading him in both calm and stressful situations, driving him in the carriage and having him stand calmly for hours while attached to the carriage. Your horses will need their hooves trimmed and shod every 4 to 6 weeks and vaccinations and teeth done every 6 months.

Find a nice looking horse that can pull a carriage. Not all horses will pull a carriage so you must find one that will. A nice looking horse will get hired for more carriage rides than an ugly one. If you are in business for yourself with only one horse and one carriage, you won't need to hire any help. One person can handle caring for about three horses at a time. This will allow you to have two extra horses to rotate into your schedule, always having a fresh horse. With one carriage, you don't need more than three horses. If you operate more than one carriage, you will need more horses and another driver.

Apply for a license in your city. Contact the city hall for the appropriate documents you need in your specific area. Generally you need to take a short class and then receive your license for carriage driving. If you plan to operate more than one carriage, you need to also get a license from the city for a small business. Tax, employee and other business information can be found from the city small business administration. You will need to name your business, apply for a business license and follow local laws on filing and reporting tax information. These things should all be done when going into business for yourself, with or without an employee.

Locate a place to keep your horses and carriage/carriages. Most cities have stalls or stables for rent that include either full or partial board. Full board allows you to pay to keep your horse in a stall and/or pasture and the stable will feed, water and exercise your horse. Partial board usually means you pay for a stall and/or pasture and you must feed, water and exercise your horse. Most stables will also allow you a space for your carriage to be parked.