Image Credit: Palmetto Carriage Works/ Facebook
This past Saturday on August 5, three carriage companies downtown came together to help raise money to donate to abused and retired horses. $1 from every ticket sale on Saturday was donated to to local foundations, H.O.P.E Acres Rescue and LEARN Horse Rescue. Palmetto Carriage Works, Charleston Carriage Works and Old South Carriage Company raised a total of $2,000 dollars on Saturday for a great cause.
Both H.O.P.E Acres Rescue and LEARN Horse Rescue take in horses to ensure they are rehabilitated and adopted by a qualified family. Their goal is also to provide education to the community about responsible animal practices to prevent mistreatment of animals.
Carriage companies are very conscientious about the health of their stable animals. Image Credit: Tripadvisor
Along with the donation of money, Charleston’s carriage companies also allowed visitors and locals to tour the barns over the weekend. Employees walked people through to show them just how well the horses are taken care of and treated. They provided a Q&A to inform the public about their practices as well.
On contrary, there were around 55 protestors that came out to hold signs that went against the carriage company’s goals for the day. The people protesting were part of Charleston Carriage Horse Advocates that disagree with the carriage tours and believe these horses are provided inadequate working conditions.
And that right there is the difference between the carriage companies in Charleston and the activists who say they have the horses best interest at heart. The kind folks who truly care about the well-being of horses and previously abused horses raised money to actually help them. What good does carrying signs around and shouting do for the horses? Zero. Zilch. Nada. None!