Two carriage rides in Charleston, SC this week

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Hubby’s business is often my pleasure so we went to Charleston for a few days. I got 2 carriage rides from the same co. and both pairs (they called them teams,) were mules.

The second pair was named Hit and Run, lol! They were baaaad, picking at each other just like kids in the backseat of a car because the driver wasn’t watching. The driver stands in front, almost always looking back at the guests, just glancing at the mules when necessary.

I sat up front the second time and the driver learned by my wincing when the mules were misbehaving. They began by crashing a shoulder into the other, then the mate did it back. Then head snaking, and the other did it back. Then muzzle bumping, same back. Then they began biting back & forth - and I had to cringe. The driver finally picked up his whip and told them he was getting tired of their picking.
The mules were about as dead-broke as possible and knew the routes, but did not know to stop for oncoming cars.

Before and after the ride, I was able to talk to drivers of 2 single horse hitches, put to vis-a-vis for private rentals. I was comparing (to myself) their harnessing to my practice runs with Cookie and found a dangling (sidecheck) strap and innocently asked, “What’s this? Is it supposed to be clipped to something?” The driver said,“OOOOPS!” and quickly clipped it to the bridle (cheekstrap, not the bit?). He said, “Good eye!”

Wendy

[fivehorses]

And did you ask them what they did with their equines when no longer useful?

[cloudyandcallie]

Well if the animals were not properly handled, report them to the vet for Charleston’s carriages. He is my vet John Malark at Edisto Equine. He is very good and will take care of things. (Board certified Michigan State Univ. vet school)

Depending on which carriage company, some of the old guys are given away sometimes to good homes, and of course some get the bad options.
Some of the carriage companies here (savannah) have had 30 yoa horses working the carriages. I guess that is better than the alternative. And one guy, who used to work carriages in Charleston and now has a company here, has a farm up in Bulloch Co. and gives his horses r&r there so they don’t always have to live downtown in a building.

Beasts of burden is true. i personaly refuse to ride in the carriages, be it in my hometown or Charleston where I have many relatives or NYC when I visit there. When I lived in Atlanta my friend’s mother was a city council member who was always trying to help the carriage horses, who ate stale bread for their meals.

I had friends who paid 500$ for a carriage horse flunk out here, nice horse, and there is one 1/2 Cleveland Bay carriage horse on one of the horse sales websites right now, 1000$ for the old mare.

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From what I saw, every carriage driver from the cos. all stood up and looked back at the passengers while driving. One even said it right out - he is a certified tourguide who drives a carriage. They speak on hisrory & the historic places almost the entire time the carriage is out.

We boarded in the barn and although it was nothing fancy, it exceptionally clean and inviting to the mules. Giant fans were blowing everywhere. Front and back doors were all open for ventilation. Manure barely hit the floor before it was scooped up. The diapers are changed every time the carriage comes in. When I was talking to the drivers of the horse/vis-a-vis outside in front, they were parked in the shade, and a gal came around with a bucket to offer drinks. The mules/carriages on break were parked side by side in a nice shady courtyard outside the back door of the barn. I have to say eveery animal looked well fed and well groomed. For working equines, I think they had a good gig. Some had metal shoes and others had rubber, which makes me think they shoe to each animal for its specific needs. Honestly, I didn’t see anything amiss at all.

One fellow told me that the co. owner has a big farm on one of the islands, and the equines are worked for some amt. of time, then shipped to the island and turned out for R&R. When they become too old to use, usually mid teens, the owner sells and sometimes even gives them away to good homes with the understanding that they are RETIRED and to be used only lightly if at all. He said the average age of the animals being used is 8 yo. Every worker I saw looked like they genuinely loved the animals and treated them like we treat our own .

I was expecting a lot less, but I was very pleasantly suprised and impressed. The co. I rode with was Palmetto.

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Something else interesting the second driver told me.

Once for some reason, 2 of their mules were left at another co’s. barn for a night. Around midnight, while the last shift was still there, they heard lots of clip-clopping out by The Market. A few minutes later, THEIR mules arrived home to their own barn! Somehow they had gotten out and went home, lol!