A coachman is the person who drives a horse-drawn carriage or coach. Sitting high up on a special seat at the front of the vehicle, the coachman controls the horses using leather straps called reins, guiding them through city streets or country roads.

Before automobiles, coachmen were essential workers. Wealthy families employed coachmen to transport them around town, similar to how people today might hire a driver. Public coaches, like early buses, also needed skilled coachmen to safely navigate busy streets while managing teams of horses that could be nervous or stubborn.

Being a good coachman required real skill. The driver needed to understand horse behavior, know how to keep the animals calm in traffic, judge distances carefully when passing other vehicles, and maintain control even when roads were muddy or icy. In classic stories like Cinderella, the coachman plays a memorable role: driving the magical coach that takes Cinderella to the ball before midnight.

You might encounter the word coachman when reading historical fiction or visiting museums with antique carriages. Though the job barely exists today, the word reminds us of a time when horsepower meant actual horses, and skilled drivers were as important as skilled mechanics are now.