Horse-drawn sled

Horse-drawn sled

　　The horse-drawn sled was historically the most important tool of production in Arctic Village. It was not only used for logging (known as "倒套子"), but also served various transportation needs in winter, making it the most common means of transport. Almost every household in Mohe owned a horse-drawn sled, and it had long become an indispensable transport tool for the villagers’ winter production and daily life.

　　The construction of a sled is relatively complex. Its main components include the sled frame, sled base, sled runners, sled cover, sled waist, diagonal braces, crossbeam, and pull bar, while auxiliary parts consist of: pads, sled wings, hooks, and sliding rings.

　　The sled frame is the main body of the horse-drawn sled, made of birch wood, measuring 10 cm square, about 2 meters long, and 80–90 cm wide. The front end is raised into a semi-circle, about 80 cm high. The top has a continuous crossbeam. The sled base is fixed to the underside of the sled frame with nails. It consists of two long iron plates that are as wide as the sled frame. In earlier times, these were forged by blacksmiths, but nowadays they are often made from recycled car leaf springs. The sled frame is drilled at equal intervals to mount the sled runners—about 4 to 5 on each side, each around 20 cm high. Mounted on the runners are the sled covers, which are two birch wood boards approximately 14–15 cm wide, aligned slightly behind the rear of the sled frame at the back and reaching to the curve at the front. The sled waist is a key component connecting the two sides of the sled frame, made from willow wood with a diameter of 6–7 cm. Traditionally, fresh willow wood was cut, then softened by boiling or burning, and carved in half before being bent over and secured to the tops of the sled runners. There are usually as many sled waists as there are sled runners. After wrapping around both sides, they are overlapped and tightly bound. To reinforce the curved front of the sled, additional diagonal braces are added between the top of the sled and the second sled runner on each side. The pull bar used to harness the horse is also tied with ropes to the lower part of the second sled runner. This pull bar has an iron ring at the front upper part and another in the middle-lower section, used for hitching the horse.

　　Sled wings are generally used for hauling loose materials like hay, similar to the side rails of a cart. Pads are specifically used for transporting logs. They consist of a single piece of wood as wide as the sled, about 30 cm high, with a concave shape carved in the middle to securely hold the log. When hauling 6 or 8-meter logs, hooks are used to lift the entire log off the ground, reducing the effort needed for the horse. A hook is essentially a small, simple sled about 1 meter long and as wide as the horse-drawn sled. It is made with two birch wood beams, each about 30 cm high and 10 cm wide, serving as the frame. Below, sled runners are also attached, and there is a waist or groove at both the front and back, or brackets carved and mounted onto the frame. A pad is placed in the middle. Connecting the horse-drawn sled and the hook are two equally long, crisscrossed coir ropes. The ropes cross to ensure synchronized turning.

　　The horse-drawn sled is the primary tool for logging, known locally as "倒套子." In the past, farmers in Arctic Township would go up the mountains to fell trees and transport the timber. On the sled used for this purpose, you could often see a circular leather loop at the front crossbeam and an iron chain with a hook on one end and an iron ring on the other. The circular leather loop is used to hold an axe, allowing the axe handle to be inserted when not in use or during transit. The iron chain is called a “sliding ring.” Its main function is to wrap around the bottom of the sled when it is loaded with logs and descending a slope, increasing friction and slowing the descent to act as a brake. This prevents dangerous situations such as runaway sleds due to the high inertia caused by steep slopes.

　　In recent years, with the widespread use of small four-wheel vehicles, the role of the horse-drawn sled in the production and daily life of Arctic Village residents has diminished. However, because starting a small four-wheel vehicle in winter is highly inconvenient, the horse-drawn sled still plays an indispensable role. Especially with the rise of tourism, riding a horse-drawn sled through snowy forests and plains has become a highly distinctive winter tourist activity in Arctic Village, beloved by visitors.