The horse carriage industry is a staple of Charleston. Not long ago, you could pick up the Post and Courier and read editorials written by locals that were in favor of horse carriages. So, where has that support gone?
In fact, the majority of local publications have turned extremely anti-carriage. In just a few short years we’ve gone from being City Paper “Best Tour in Charleston” to the subject of an editorial calling for our ban.
At the same time, the care and treatment of trip horses and mules is infinitely better today than it has ever been in history. As late as the last century, horses were still used in wars. Although that is no longer a common practice, horses are working animals and have worked alongside people throughout history.
Touring the city is a breeze for our animals compared to the tasks they were bred to do and allows us to be able to financially care for them.
In Charleston, a lot of effort has gone into changing the media view of us, and a lot of that stemming from misinformation.
In addition to better, modern care, the Charleston horse carriage industry is held to extremely rigorous standards to ensure that our animals are being taken care of. Few businesses, if any, in the city of Charleston are subject the same level of regulations that carriage tours are.
Part of these regulations include the way that we are required to report incidents.
The level of reporting that we are held to is far above that of other businesses. Incidents on private property, incidents that resulted in no damage or injury to another party, incidents that are easily handled with the aggrieved party now must become public record. This higher standard results in a higher level of incidents. Most of which are not even related to the well-being of our horses and mules.
We are a company and an industry that cares for our animals although the media is making it increasingly difficult for our side of the story to be heard.
We need your help to preserve the heritage of the horse carriage in Charleston.
Sign our petition and stay up to date on the facts on our Facebook page.
Thank you for your support!
-Tom