charleston carriage horses

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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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.

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Busting Common Myths About Charleston Carriage Horses

Featured Image Credit: Blake Williams

Misinformation about carriage horses is rampant in Charleston. People often talk about the issue without having any facts to back up their stances. Well, we’re here to help with that. We’re taking on common myths about carriage horses and busting them with the truth. So, educate yourself on this hot-button issue before you get into that spirited debate. Oh, and don’t forget to resist the Russian trolls!

Image Credit: Blake Williams

Myth: Carriage Horses Work No Matter the Weather

Erroneous! While horses and mules have the ability to adapt to the weather, they’re not asked to perform in extreme weather conditions…and that includes extreme heat. We know it gets hot down here in the summer and the caretakers of our four-legged friends know what to look out for when it comes to an overheated horse. At Palmetto Carriage Works, they take each horse’s temperature after every tour to make sure they are within the normal range. If the horse even approaches having an above normal temperature, they are pulled from working. And if a day reaches 95 degrees or the heat index is 110, there are no tours.

Myth: Carriage Horses Work Long Hours Without Breaks

Lies! The number of hours a horse is allowed to work in a row is highly regulated by the city of Charleston. Palmetto Carriage Works’ horses and mules typically work a five hour day. Plus, the horses get at least a 15-minute break between tours to rest and drink water. And when they’re not working, they have plenty of space in their stalls to eat and relax.

Image Credit: Palmetto Carriage Works & Palmetto Tours Facebook

Myth: Carriage Horses are Made to Carry Backbreaking Loads

Nope! Even a fully loaded carriage isn’t hard for a horse or mule to pull, especially in teams. The tourism committee recently determined that even on a full carriage ride, it would be almost impossible for a carriage to exceed the city’s weight limit due to logistical issues. In Charleston, the weight of the carriages is restricted to a maximum of three times the horse’s weight. While all carriage companies must adhere to this ordinance, it is possible for the horses to pull much more than this. But don’t get all worked up just yet. To give you an idea of just how much weight carriage horses can pull, a regular horse can easily pull a wheeled vehicle that is six times its own weight. Since the average weight of a draft horse is about 1,400-2,000 pounds, that means that one of the larger horses could easily pull up to 12,000 pounds on a wheeled vehicle. A typical carriage load is FAR less than that, and the horses, on average, work five hours per day with breaks.

Myth: Carriage Horses Are Easily Spooked and Dangerous

False! It’s true that horses are firmly in the “flight” camp when it comes to the “fight or flight” response, but Charleston carriage horses aren’t just ordinary horses. They’re highly trained animals that adapt easily to their environments. They know how to deal with pedestrians, cars, sirens, yelling, and other loud noises. Things that might make a typical horse bolt don’t ruffle these quadrupeds.

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BREAKING: Local Business Follows Business Regulations

Featured Image Credit: Mike Ledford/ Charleston City Paper

Horse carriage tours were taken off the streets two times on Thursday, August 18 due to high temperatures clocking in at 95 degrees and above. In March, an ordinance was passed by the city that lowered the heat limits for carriage horses to be on the streets to 95 degrees, three degrees lower than the original limit. These new temperature regulations were demanded by Charleston Animal Society, now they complain when they are followed.

The Charleston Animal Society is now accusing the carriage companies of using a “loophole.” They believe the carriage companies ignored protocol and kept the horses on the street for a full hour after the temperature was above 95 and took them back out within a half-hour of being stable.

That wasn’t the case.

Image Credit: Palmetto Carriage Works

Palmetto Carriage Works posted a statement on their Facebook page to provide some clarity on the situation: “Just a quick update about today. At around 11:50 am this morning we received word from the city that they had 4 consecutive temperature readings indicating 95 degrees. Following proper procedure, we stopped all carriage tours until we received further word from the City of Charleston.”

Well, that statement definitely clears the air. However, Charleston Animal Society thought not only did they not pull them, but they the horses back out. Palmetto Carriage Works also provided a timeline of the event.

“At 12:50 pm we received word that the temperature had dropped below 95 degrees. At that time we also received clearance from the City of Charleston to resume tours. At 1:35 pm we received word that the temperature reading went back up to 95 degrees. Again following proper procedure we made sure that no new tours went out. All tours were off the street by 2:30 pm.”

A story released by ABC News 4 confirmed the carriage companies version of events: “City of Charleston spokesman Jack O’Toole confirms the horses were ordered off the streets Thursday at 11:50 a.m. and 1:35 p.m. After the first instance, it was 45 minutes before the horses were cleared to work again (12:35 p.m.). It was an hour and 10 minutes before the horses were allowed back to work after the second shutdown (2:44 p.m.), according to O’Toole.

Image Credit: Old South Carriage Company Facebook

So since when did abiding by the law become a “loophole?” The carriage companies followed regulations while completing their usual examinations and procedures on the horses, taking individual temperatures after every tour. The carriage companies want to ensure the safety of the horses and obey the City of Charleston regulations, something they have done for years and take very seriously.