carriage horse

Let’s Talk About That Carriage Horse Billboard On I-26

Featured Image Credit: Charleston CVB

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Charleston can stop worrying about the treatment of our carriage horses.

“Have you see the sign?” many people in Charleston have been asking one another lately. They’re talking about the billboard located on I-26 depicting a silhouette of a horse-drawn carriage with the labels “1 horse” and “17 people” placed on the matching images. On the right side of the board, a flame is depicted with “95” over it, representing 95 degrees. Along with the flame, you read “carriage horse abuse #justsayniegh”.

Recently, Charleston Carriage Works, Old South Carriage Company, and Palmetto Carriage Works voiced their opinions of the billboard. The billboard is “false and misleading” and “an embarrassment to Charleston,” says general manager of Palmetto Carriage Works, Tommy Doyle.

“On summer days here in Charleston when the temperature reaches 95 degrees or the heat index reaches 110, all of our carriage tours are halted. By stopping our tours once the temperature reaches these levels, we ensure that our animals aren’t working in conditions that could lead to overheating,” Palmetto Carriage Works writes in one of their blogs.

This isn’t just a PCW rule either. It’s a city law and it is strictly enforced.

Doyle also said, “The work our animals do in these conditions is considered light exercise for the type of animals we use. It is not near their full capacity and certainly not abuse.”

Don’t believe that either? Check out this awesome video that Palmetto Carriage Works did. It shows the employees filling in for the horses. Get ready to be surprised by the outcome.

The billboard needs to come down because it displays completely false information about Charleston carriage companies. Not only does the Charleston carriage industry care deeply about their own horses, they care about others too. For example, when local carriage companies donated $3,000 in support of L.E.A.R.N. Horse Rescue, they helped Spirit and Bailey, two malnourished horses in the care of L.E.A.R.N. Horse Rescue.

A recent poll conducted by Charleston C.A.R.E.S also showed that the majority of Charlestonians have an overwhelming amount of support for the carriage industry.

It doesn’t look like the billboard will come down anytime soon, even though it is ridiculous and inaccurate. In the meantime, Charleston’s carriage companies will continue to love and care for each and every horse in their possession.

Learn more from our source at https://www.thestate.com/news/local/article215937690.html.

Featured

Here’s What You Need To Know About Charleston’s Updated Carriage Horse Regulations

Featured Image Credit: Palmetto Carriage Works

In the ongoing debate about Charleston’s carriage horses, much has been said about whether or not the practice should be continued. While all of the criticisms of the horse-drawn carriage business have been countered with facts that prove the horses are well cared for, the City of Charleston is taking further steps to ensure their wellbeing. These steps come in the form of updated carriage horse regulations.

At a recent Tourism Commission meeting, Dan Riccio, the City of Charleston’s Director of Livability & Tourism, announced the city would be implementing changes for the carriage tour industry. The City of Charleston has hired a full-time Equine Manager to monitor carriage tour operations and enforce carriage horse regulations.

The Equine Manager, Shannon Tilman, will bring a strong background in the care of horses. Working with horses all her life, she has also been certified in a number of equine care specialties. These specialties include advanced knowledge of the equine anatomy and veterinary science.

In addition to the Equine Manager, the Tourism Commission Subcommittee also resolved the issue of carriage weights or encumbrance. The concern was that the carriages the horses are pulling are too heavy because the carriage loads aren’t weighed. The city mandates that the encumbrance must be less than three times the horse’s body weight. However, the method used to estimate weight by the carriage companies is the same method used by the US Coast Guard and the airline industry to measure passenger weight. Scales like those used for trucks were proposed, but the process used to estimate weight was found to be satisfactory and the carriage companies had the animals’ welfare in mind when it came to load size.

Another advancement in carriage horse regulations is that carriage tours are now digitally monitored and tracked. The new system allows officials to track weight, route, and passenger volume. These items were previously tracked by hand. The digital method will be more accurate and future enhancements could be made. The digital system was created internally by the City of Charleston IT Department.

News

Trolls Unite To Push Nontroversy In The Lowcountry

Featured Image Credit: istock

Russian internet trolling in the US? Yawn. Russian internet trolling in CHARLESTON? Now THAT’S a story.

The Post and Courier found that Russian internet trolling has come to the Lowcountry. And the trolls seemingly have a finger on the pulse of issues that are hot in Charleston.

Of course, Kremlin-backed twitter accounts interfered with political discussions (retweeting comments from SC residents that were pro-Trump and anti-Muslim), but they also took a side in the local carriage horse debate. And it was very firmly anti-carriage horse. The account in question tweeted about a horse that had tripped and fallen. The tweet included the hashtag #BanHorseDrawnCarriageRides.

The point of Russian internet trolling is to sow division in our communities and in our country. And when it comes to the carriage horse debate, we have so many more important things to worry about. The horses are safe and well cared for. What else is there left to say?

Guest Columns

A Day In The Life Of A Charleston Carriage Horse

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

Featured

Carriage Companies Voluntarily Keep Horses Out Of The Lowcountry Summer Heat

Featured Image Credit: Charleston CVB

You might have noticed that the summer heat is here in the city of Charleston, and the local carriage companies are taking extra precautions in making sure that their animals are safe in the sweltering summer sun.

Horse carriages were ordered to return to their barns due to the hot temperatures in the Lowcountry on July 5th. The hot afternoon heat peaked around 2:40 p.m. and exceeded the heat limit for horse carriage operation in Charleston at 95 degrees. By 4 p.m. later that afternoon, the temperatures dropped below the 95 degree limit. However, carriage company operators voluntarily chose to keep the horses off the streets for the rest of the day.

Carriage companies are very conscientious about the health of their stable animals.Image Credit: Tripadvisor

This decision received much media attention as the carriage industries in Charleston have been under fire for the treatment of their animals. Many extreme animal activists have caused more harm than good to the animals of the carriage industry. Just a few months ago, a woman dressed in a T-rex costume intentionally spooked a horse, putting the customers and the driver in danger.

Many assumptions are made about the horses and the carriage ride business, but these animals are actually very well taken care of. Palmetto Carriage Works, one of the carriage companies in downtown Charleston, takes the temperature of their horses after every ride and have daily morning safety meetings to ensure that everything is in order for the day. The horses are also guaranteed plenty of rest and take months at a time off at their farm.

The city of Charleston has recently made a few changes to the carriage tour business regulations to ensure the best safety for the animals. They lowered the heat limit for horse carriage operations from 98 to 95 degrees along with lowering the heat index from 125 to 110 degrees.

Image Credit: Tripadvisor

The carriage industry operators know the needs and safety precautions of their animals more than anyone. The animals work side by side with the employees everyday and have become a part of their family. None of those workers want to put them in harm’s way. The importance of the animal’s safety to the carriage industries was proven on July 5th after they were given permission to start tours again, but they decided against it. They put the safety of their animals first, as always.

Animal activists have hyped up a mistreatment of horses that is simply nonexistent. The city of Charleston does a great job of caring for its animals and hold the carriage industry to extremely high standards. So next time you see a carriage tour riding down the streets of Charleston, you can be confident that they are in the best care. Maybe you can even hop on for a ride yourself!