Sled
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{{for|the Linux distribution|SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop}}
{{for|the animal trainer|Sled Reynolds}}
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{{redirect|Sleigh}}
A '''sled''', '''sledge''' or '''sleigh''' is a [[vehicle]] with runners for sliding instead of wheels for rolling. It is used for [[transport]] on surfaces with low [[friction]], usually [[snow]] or [[ice]] but any grassy surface is good when it is not too dry. In some cases round river-washed stones make a good surface for sledges. Devices to be pulled across bare ground, such as a [[travois]], are not generally called "sleds", although skids often are.
[[Image:Sleigh.jpg|thumb|left|A horse-drawn sleigh]]
[[Image:Sled north of Ngcobo.jpg|thumb|A crude ox-drawn sled with chain on a mountain road north of [[Ngcobo, Eastern Cape]]]]
Sleds are typically smaller and simpler than sleighs which are generally understood to be a larger vehicle designed for riding in a sitting position that is drawn by a draft animal such as a horse or oxen, though this is not always the case. The sitting connotation is clear as the English [[bobsleigh]] is a steerable sled invented to sit upon or within. North Americans transmorphed this into bobsled, since clearly the vehicle is not drawn by a draft animal. Both (or all four) are lightweight vehicles whereas a ''sledge'' is more usually a low, sturdy, and rough ''work vehicle'' designed for haulage of heavy loads such as cordwood, stone or ice blocks or the manifold heavy transport needs on a farm.
With only gravity as the propelling force, a sled can be used downhill as a recreational (toy) vehicle or drawn behind one trudging step by trudging step to haul a load—such as logs or children back up a slope. Modern competitive sledding has come about since the 1870s when steerable sleds were invented as a recreational prescription to combat winter boredom amongst the rich and privileged in the alpine resort town of [[St Moritz]] by British hotel guests.
Alternatively, sleds may be pulled by animals, usually [[horse]]s, [[mule]]s, [[oxen]] or [[dog]]s. They may also be pushed or pulled by humans (playing children, a parent pulling a child, etc.). Man-hauled sledges were the traditional means of transport on British exploring expeditions to the [[Arctic]] and [[Antarctic]] regions in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Dog-teams were used by most others, such as [[Roald Amundsen]]. Today some people use [[kite flying|kite]]s to tow exploration sleds in such climes. The Egyptians are thought to have used sledges extensively over the sands whilst building their public works, in particular, for the transportation of taller [[obelisk]]s.
A '''troika''' is a vehicle drawn by three horses, usually a sled, but it may also be a wheeled carriage.
The [[SR-71 Blackbird]] is also referred to by the nickname "sled" and its pilots are referred to as "sled drivers".
[[Image:Sportsclinicerickcastro2.jpg|thumb|250px|Hockey played on ice sleds by the disabled]]
The various categories of sleds include:
* Coaster sled
* Wooden sled/sledge
* Draft-animal sled/sledge
** Horse-drawn sleigh
** [[Dog sled]]
* Flying sleigh
* [[Bobsled]] - an [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] sport.
* [[Toboggan]]
* [[Kicksled]] or spark or kicker, a human-powered sled
* [[Aerosan]], powered by an airplane propellor
[[Image:Cargo sled, McMurdo Station (cropped).JPEG|700px|center|thumb|An enormous cargo sled being maneuvered by a 10K-AT "Adverse Terrain" [[Forklift truck|forklift]] at [[McMurdo Station]] in [[Antarctica]].]]
==See also==
{{commonscat|Sledding}}
* [[Luge]]
* [[Pulka]]
* [[Skeleton (sport)]]
* [[Ski]]
* [[Sledge Hockey]]
* [[Snowboard]]
* [[Snowmobiles]]
* [[Snowmobile]]
== External links ==
* [http://www.SledRiding.com/horsedrawnsleighrides.html North America's Horse Drawn Sleigh Rides]
[[Category:Dutch loanwords]]
[[Category:Sledding]]
[[Category:Sports equipment]]
[[Category:Animal-powered vehicles]]
[[Category:Human-powered vehicles]]
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