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By 1915 when this photo was taken horse cabs were almost extinct but they were still called on to lend a touch of dignity and tradition to funeral processions. Winnipeg's main thoroughfares were paved by now, but the leading clarence and three following landaus are all still pulled by pairs of horses.
Source:
June 19, 1915, Funeral cortege for Archbishop Langevin. Archives Manitoba, Foote 195 (Negative 1795).
Winnipeg Cab History / 33
Two-Horse Cabs (1)
Winnipeg's mud influenced the cab business in at least one lasting way. A strong team of horses was required to drag a carriage through the streets in wet weather. This accounts for there being very few one-horse cabs or coupes licensed during the horse-cab era.
The two-horse habit persisted long after street paving had largely solved the mud problem. In 1910 the Winnipeg Telegram noted that there were only three one-horse cabs in the city and wondered why "Winnipeg clings with such persistence to the heavy chariot drawn by two powerful roadsters."
In other cities in North America and Europe most cabs were pulled by a single horse.