carriage industry

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

Recent Poll Shows Huge Support For Charleston Carriage Horse Industry

Featured Image Credit: Charleston CARES

Charleston C.A.R.E.S recently conducted a poll with the citizens of Charleston regarding the local horse carriage industry downtown. The results? Exactly what they should be: overwhelming support for the carriage industry!

According to the results, the majority of Charlestonians, 65 percent to be exact, support the carriage rides and 67 percent oppose efforts to ban these rides downtown.

When it comes to the care given to the horses, 85 percent rated the care either as excellent, good or OK as opposed to the mere 8 percent who rated the care as poor or cruel.

And when asked what the biggest issue facing downtown Charleston was, only ONE PERCENT responded that it is the horse-drawn carriage industry.

In fact, 52 percent responded that they would be less likely to support a city council member who was for a ban on horse carriage rides in Charleston, opposed to only 18 percent who would be more likely to support a city council member who advocated for a ban.

A much larger 71 percent think that the City Council should spend more time fighting the new development of hotels downtown as opposed to spending further time regulating the horse carriage industry.

To check out the full results of the poll, click here.

News

Joe Elmore To Step Down As Charleston Animal Society CEO

Featured Image Credit: Charleston Animal Society/ Facebook

In late 2018 or early 2019, Joe Elmore will be stepping down from his position as Charleston Animal Society CEO.

Elmore was with the Charleston Animal Society for 6 years and in those 6 years, he managed to take the mission of CAS from saving animals and finding them a home to doing the work of radical animal activists organizations by attacking the carriage industry.

But what was is his reasoning for stepping down?

“My goal was to lead the organization out of crisis and bring the Board’s dream of the first No Kill Community in the Southeast to realization,” Elmore said. “Charleston County has been a No Kill Community for five full years now. Our fire is out; It’s time to fight fires elsewhere.”

Sure, Elmore has done some good work for the animals at the shelter, but he has also added carriage industry attacks to the CAS agenda as well. Ever seen those ridiculous “Just Say Neigh” billboards on I-26? Those were paid for and placed there by an organization with close ties to the CAS. We wonder how much money they could have put towards the animals in their care and resources for their facility instead of a ridiculous billboard?

While we’re on the topic of the carriage industry, did you know that carriage tours in Charleston have been operating under some of the highest standards in the country since 2007? Palmetto Carriage Works has been working closely with the City’s special study committee reviewing everything from weight restrictions to temperature standards. Palmetto Carriage Works has provided all available data from these studies to this committee. They take it very seriously.

Despite all of the facts, Joe Elmore used the Charleston Animal Society to spread misleading and false information that horses were falling due to exhaustion, overheating, dehydration, etc. His behavior is and was extremely alarming.

Now that Elmore will be out of the picture, we hope that CAS gets back to their mission of truly saving animals and not attacking another industry that cares just as much, if not more, about the animals in their care.

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Part One: Here Are The Facts About Big John’s So-Called “Collapse”

Image Credit: Charleston Carriage Works

Part one of the series looking at the carriage industry and all players involved…

Just so there is no confusion here, let us start off by saying that as Charleston locals, we support the carriage industry. We are here to give you the facts. We are here to do all the research for you.

So as you may know, Big John is a carriage horse that works for Charleston Carriage Works. On April 19, 2017, Big John tripped and fell to the ground at 323 Meeting Street, in front of FIG Restaurant, at the start of his first tour of the day.

Image Credit: Charleston Carriage Works

Tourists and locals alike took crowded around to snap photos and videos as the horse was seemingly calm and resting on the ground. Both tourism enforcement officers and Charleston Carriage Works employees worked to help remove the animals harness and get him back on his feet.

And so, naturally, organizations like Charleston Animal Society and Charleston Carriage Horse Advocates immediately pushed those videos and photos out to the public, telling the world that Big John “collapsed” from heat exhaustion and from being overworked.

As a result, both Charleston Carriage Works and the carriage industry as a whole received a new wave of backlash and harassment when in reality, a “collapse” from heat exhaustion or being overworked or whatever other lie you may have heard – was not the case at all.

By law, all horse carriage incidents must be reported immediately.

Image Credit: Charleston Carriage Works

“City tourism enforcement officers are then dispatched to the scene to investigate the incident, work to ensure the horse’s well-being, and file an official report, which is then made available to the public,” according to Jack O’Toole, the Communications Director for the City of Charleston.

This case was no different. The very next day after the 11 minute incident, the city released a full report, which also included a report from the city equine manager, who O’Toole says is one of only two people in the county who has been trained as a certified animal abuse specialist who can detect incidents of abuse or mistreatment. On top of that, a report from the veterinarian on the scene was also included.

The report and the veterinary exam both showed Big John only worked 30 minutes that day, meaning he was not overworked that day, contrary to what you read in the headlines.

In the video above, you can see Big John minutes after his stumble walking around.

The reports also stated that Big John did not “collapse,” he “stumbled and fell” to the pavement. Which, might we add, happens from time to time…to all of us…

The Charleston Police also released a statement that same Wednesday that said Big John slipped while rounding the corner from Meeting Street onto Hassel Street. They were able to make this statement because of eye witness accounts from numerous officers on the scene.

According to the Dan Riccio, the Director of the City of Charleston Department of Livability and Tourism, Big John suffered minor scratches, and was cleared by veterans to continue working that very next day.

Want to learn more about Big John, his love for popsicles and his semi-retired life at Charleston Carriage Works? Click here.