Long before studded tires and heated seats, New Brunswickers relied on horse-drawn sleighs to get around in the winter.
N.B. has a history of river highways, horse-drawn sleighs
Jordan Gill · CBC News
· Posted: Feb 15, 2026 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours ago
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In the 1800s getting around New Brunswick in the winter often meant traveling by horse drawn sleighs on rivers. (Provincial Archives of New Brunswick/P5-247)
Getting around New Brunswick in the winter time is rarely a piece of cake.
Snow, ice, sleet and wind often make travelling the roads in the province treacherous during the colder months.
But it’s nothing like what people living in 19th century New Brunswick had to put up with.
They would have to travel via sleigh, over long distances, often on frozen rivers.
“It’s a heck of a commute when you think about it,” said historian James Upham.
Long, cold journeys
When we think of sleigh rides today, we often picture peaceful, picturesque recreational journeys, maybe topped off with hot chocolate at a camp afterwards.
But in the 1800s,
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