Featured Image Credit: Palmetto Carriage Works
For locals and tourists, carriage tours around historic downtown Charleston are a beloved staple for the community. They provide everyone with a fun and unique way to explore one of the best cities in the world – yes, we are one of the best cities.
Most people in Charleston only see the animals as they are working, as they are patrolling the streets of downtown – but that doesn’t mean that’s all they do. Palmetto Carriage Works are big believers in an awesome work-life balance, which is why their animals get an average of 19 weeks* of vacation time. (That’s over 50% more than the six-week minimum required by the City of Charleston!)
Not only do the horses get the benefit of 133 vacation days, they also only work 5-hour workdays, receive multiple relaxation breaks, daily meals as well as room, board and transportation. And to top it off they get to live on beautiful John’s Island at the Doyle Family farm. Now if you’re asking us, we wish we had this great of a setup.
The Doyle family farm is about 20 miles away from downtown Charleston, and the animals are transported by truck and trailer to get to work. Once they make it to the Big Red Barn, the animals only work an average of five hours* a day. The City of Charleston requires that no animals should work for more than eight hours a day, but Palmetto Carriage Works likes to keep the days shorter for their animals.
People are always questioning how much and how hard Palmetto Carriage Works work their animals, so it’s time to answer those questions. Along with everything mentioned above during each shift, the animals are given plenty of rest, making sure each animal gets a 15-minute break at minimum for a drink and some time by our misting fans. Often times, during downtime at the Big Red Barn, the animals can be found asleep standing up, with one hind foot cocked in our spacious stalls. If they feel like it, they can even lay down to rest their legs. The biggest thing is the animals are never overworked.
Palmetto Carriage Works ensures their animals don’t work too hard or too much, and by doing this they are providing these animals with a positive life full of love and care.
*Based on 2016 Work Study