Here at Palmetto Carriage Works, the care and wellbeing of our animals is our top priority, which is why we insist on giving them so much time at the Doyle Family Farm.
The Doyle Family Farm, located just twenty miles away from downtown Charleston, is where all of our animals can be found when they’re not working. Though most people in the Charleston area only see our animals hard at work, they spend an average of 19 week of rest time out on the Doyle Family Farm. (That’s three times more rest time than the City of Charleston requires!)
Our morning routine at the farm consists of a 6:00 a.m. wake-up call and feeding time. At this time, we administer any medication that our animals may need and check up on them to make sure they are all feeling great. Though most days begin the same, if it happens to be a Thursday, then our animals have their hooves checked by the farrier before their day begins. If they are spending an off day at the farm, then they wander out to pasture where they will have access to hay and water all day long.
If the animals are going downtown to work, we then get them groomed, bathed and loaded on the trailer. They then make the 20-mile trek to Charleston, where they’re dropped off at the Big Red Barn. The Big Red Barn offers a much more structured environment for our animals, whereas they are free to roam and do as they please on the farm. We make sure that each of our animals gets a minimum 15-minute break in between each tour, and they work an average of only five hours each day. Our animals usually return to the farm around 6:00 p.m. and then dinner is served.
It is in our best interest at Palmetto Carriage Works to ensure that our animals are not overworked. Giving them extended vacation time ensures that they are healthy and ready to go when it’s time to work.