horses

A Day In The Life Of A Charleston Carriage Horse Barn Hand

Featured Image Credit: Palmetto Carriage Works Facebook

At the Big Red Barn, Palmetto Carriage Works has twenty hand-selected, caring barn hands. This is a team full of well trained, knowledgeable, and dedicated people who take the animals care as seriously as their employers do.

A barn hands daily responsibilities are feeding, grooming, harnessing, and hitching twenty-five or more horses and mules. In a week a single horse can go through about 2-3 bales of hay plus about 8 quarts of grain per serving (on average two serving per day). Throughout the day a barn hand tends to many horses and mules, on average grooming a horse takes 7-10 minutes, of course, the condition of the horse can affect that time. Some horses need a full bath in the mornings, while others can just be brushed and are ready to go.

After cleaning, a barn hand would dress the horse in dray (its harness). Putting on their collar and collar pad first, then they would put on the actual harness. Because they use a floating style harness, it is all one piece making it slightly easier to put it on. The hames sit on their collar and then are buckled at the bottom. Once the hames are buckled, the girth (the band around the belly) is fastened and the remainder of the harness is stretched out over their back. Lastly, the bridle is placed on their head.

Again, each horse is different, the horse may be incredibly stubborn, making it much harder to complete this process, while others may be incredibly laid back and let you put on the harness with ease. Most barn hands have their own way of connecting with the animals, some barn hands find that when the animal willingly takes the bit when placing the bridle is a sign of companionship.

Each day in the life of a barn hand can be incredibly different. They always have to expect the unexpected, but they have great patience and a gentle persistence that is key to interacting with the animals.

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Why Horseshoes Are Necessary For Charleston Carriage Horses

Featured Image Credit: Palmetto Carriage Works

Have you ever been walking in downtown Charleston, seen a horse drawn carriage and thought to yourself, “Man, those horses feet must really hurt!”? There is no need to worry, because Palmetto Carriage Works takes special care of all of their animals by providing them with shoes that protect and add traction to their hooves.

Horses’ and mules’ hooves need proper care to prevent abnormal hoof wear and injury to the foot. At Palmetto Carriage Works, this care is proved by a farrier who makes his rounds twice a week to ensure the protect and safety of each of the animals. A farrier is specialized in preparation and fitting of the horseshoes.

A horseshoe is a u-shaped plate usually made of steel but can also be made of aluminum or plastic. Each of the animals comes in different shapes and sizes, which means each animals horseshoes are going to be different. For small horses and mules, the shoe is made of steel and has a plastic covering, while the larger, draft horses have shoes made of steel with plastic bolted in. The horseshoes are nailed into a not sensitive area on the bottom of the hoof.

To insure the best protection of their animals’ hooves, Palmetto Carriage Works askes their farrier to change each of the animals shoes every six weeks. This prevents the shoes from becoming loose and being thrown. In the case that a shoe becomes thrown, the horse or mule will wear a boot until the farriers next visit to the barn so that it may continue working. In the case of an injury to an animal’s hoof, they will see both a vet and a farrier to ensure proper treatment can be decided, whether it is a special shoe or time to rest.

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Three Carriage Companies To Host Open House Amidst Marching Protestors

Featured Image Credit: Jonathan Boncek/Charleston City Paper

Things are about to get pretty interesting this Saturday in the City Market area. Animal-rights activists will be marching for Charleston’s carriage horses, calling for “more humane treatment.” The march will start at 11 a.m. at the U.S. Custom House on East Bay and Market Street and will proceed onto North Market and South Market street.

But here’s the kicker: three carriage companies are standing up to these activists and inviting anyone and everyone into their stables at the same time as the march to see just how well they treat their animals. The open houses will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m on Saturday, August 5 so people can see the behind the scenes of the carriage-tour industry and just how well the animals are looked after. And to prove once and for all these activist claims of inhumane treatment are completely false and unfounded.

Old South Carriage Company, Palmetto Carriage Works and Charleston Carriage Works will all raise money for H.O.P.E Acres Rescue, a certified 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization located in Summerville whose mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and provide a safe haven for equines in need, to live out a healthy, happy, and peaceful life through public education, county and state alliances, adoptions, donations and caring volunteers. Each carriage company will donate $1 from each carriage-tour ticket on Saturday to H.O.P.E Acres Rescue.

The overall health and wellbeing of carriage horses has been a huge topic of debate in Charleston and carriage companies are working hard to show how much they care for their animals. By hosting community outreach programs where customers are able to interact with the horses and see their living conditions first hand, the companies hope it will expose their true humane practices. Their goal for the event Saturday is to educate others and support the real needs of horses who have suffered abuse.

Image Credit: Facebook/ Palmetto Carriage Works

A lot more good can be done by donating to organizations like H.O.P.E Acres Rescue instead of marching and protesting up and down streets. It is important that people look into all the facts of the carriage rides and don’t get caught up in the far-fetched views of animal-activists. The best way to educate yourself on the topic would be to go down to the carriage company barns and see the horses and the way they are treated for yourself. You’ll even get a glimpse into the everyday routine of the massive four-legged friends.

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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!