Horse Carriages: Romance on Wheels

Every little girl dreams of being Cinderella, whisked off to the ball in a carriage pulled by magnificent horses and driven by a smartly attired coachman. It doesn’t require a fairy godmother, glass slippers, or for that matter a ball, to fulfill part of that dream. A horse and carriage, complete with a coachman, can be found in huge cities like London, Paris, or New York, tiny islands like Kauai, Hawaii or Mackinac in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, or even in the middle of the Kansas grasslands. An exceptional brand of horse enthusiasts wave their buggy whips in place of magic wands to transport their clients into a world of times gone by.

Wagons, caravans, and coaches pulled by every variety of horse have transported people throughout the world for centuries. It has only been in the last 100 years that this mode of transportation has been delegated to the ranks of quaint nostalgia. Today, carriage livery operations offer diversion more than transportation, but oh, what a diversion.

Essex, England

John Peacock and his wife Betty have operated Capital Carriages in Essex, England for 12 years. John has driven horses professionally his entire working life, beginning in the late 1960s when he drove teams for the Watney Mann Brewery. He also has shown Shires in a variety of turnouts all over England.

The Peacocks decided to combine their knowledge and love of horses to build a business that would provide carriage services in their area. Since its inception, Capital Carriages has provided services for weddings, funerals, parades, and motion pictures. They also arrange carriages and drivers for special occasions like the celebrations scheduled to commemorate the Queen’s Jubilee this year.

Mrs. Peacock said that the company’s services are in large demand for transporting bridal parties to their destinations.

For these formal occasions, a black and burgundy Shelbourne landau pulled by a pair of horses is used. The square carriage sports gold pinstripes, a crest on the doors, a motto which translates to “Honesty Is The Best Policy,” and a red leather interior that can comfortably seat four adults. It was originally built in the 1890s and has been immaculately maintained. It has two folding hoods, which can be raised within seconds should the weather be inclement.

Other carriages the company keeps in mint condition include a Shefton landau, which is similar to the Shelbourne and seats four; a victoria (sometimes called a victoria phaeton) that seats two and is perfect for romantic occasions; a break, which is less formal and can carry eight people comfortably; and a formal two-horse funeral carriage.

The horses are as much an attraction as the carriages. The company has a number of matched pairs in white and black that pulls the smaller carriages. It also has a sturdy team of Shires that were used to pull a large war wagon in the filming of the movie Gladiator. Mrs. Peacock explained, “The horses are picked for their suitability for the job. We mainly have Irish draft crosses, horses with the substance and stamina for the work that they do. I don’t like to think we have favorites amongst the horses because, like children, they all have their own character. But, if truth be known, I think we all do! I would say mine would be Earl. He is a Hackney/ Gelderlander cross, very temperamental and miserable with most people, but underneath I think he is a big softy! He’s not too tough to have a cuddle and a fuss.”

Kauai, Hawaii

In another part of the world, Doug and Justine Albrecht employ their beloved Clydesdales to make wishes (both their own and their clients’) come true. Mr. Albrecht explained, “I grew up helping my father, who was a logger in Alaska. He drove teams of Clydesdales in the national forests there. I learned how to drive at an early age, and even before that I learned to love the horses. It was a dream of mine to somehow make a living with my horses.”

The Albrecht’s realized their dreams in 1986 when they transported a group of Clydesdales to the island of Kauai to set up their business, Plantation Carriages. They provide carriage trade for the island’s hotels and take visitors on tours through Kilohana, a historic sugarcane plantation. They delight in sharing the history, flora, and fauna of the island, as well as that of the industry that supported its inhabitants before tourism became more lucrative.

The carriages pulled by the Albrechts’ horses include a black and red fringe-topped 1905 doctor’s buggy, a 1914 Velie buggy, a huge red wagon used for plantation tours, and a French wedding carriage built before 1827 that has carried over 2000 brides to their weddings since 1986. A special vehicle, an 1827 sleigh equipped with wheels cleverly hidden beneath the blades to handle the lack of snow on the island, delivers Santa and his gifts to local children.

While driving a favorite team of horses through an island paradise might seem like a fairy-tale job, it comes with strings attached. Mr. Albrecht explained, “Living on an island presents some challenges in providing proper nutrition and veterinary care for our horses. I do all my own farrier work and about 70% of the veterinary work because the nearest veterinarian is in Honolulu which is on another island. My horses cannot eat the local grasses, so I must import all their hay and feed. Each horse eats about 35 pounds of alfalfa and about 15 pounds of grain a day. That begins to add up when you consider that we have six horses.”

Because veterinary care comes at a dear price and because his horses are like family members to him, Mr. Albrecht has developed deworming and monitoring schedules to ensure their continued good health. He said, “We must be very careful about parasite control. We do not have cold enough weather to disrupt parasite life cycles. My horses have been on the same pastures for 15 years, so we deworm them every 30 days with a specialized liquid wormer prescribed by my veterinarian. We also tube-worm our horses every three months and monitor fecal samples to be certain that our program is working.”

The warm weather provides other concerns for the Albrechts, who watch their animals closely for water consumption, defecation, urination, and attitude changes that might indicate a problem. Mrs. Albrecht creates a careful schedule for the company so that every horse is rotated through a cycle of work that includes at least two days off a week. The vigilant care for their animals and the enjoyment they share with their clients were responsible for Mr. Albrecht being named the 1992 Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Hawaii.

All the effort and expense involved have proven to be a labor of love for the husband and wife team. They and their two children, a ten-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter, tell people that they are “living in paradise and just horsing around.”

Swan Valley, Australia

Ross and Loris Gundry live in their own version of paradise and have found a way to share their love for horses in the beautiful Swan Valley just outside of Perth, Australia. The Gundrys began operating the Heritage Horse-Drawn Carriage Company three years ago. They started out with one horse and an original victoria phaeton carriage built before 1900 but that quickly changed.

“We have expanded to a fleet of three wagons (a 12, 14, and 16 seater) and a double-decker horse-drawn omnibus (26 seats). Our stable has also grown to include five Clydesdales, three Percherons, one Andalusian, and a Dutch Warmblood. We also have two foals,” Mrs. Gundry stated.

The Gundrys capitalize on the romance they have found in their valley. One of their offerings is a “Red Wine, Rose and Romance” package described by Mrs. Gundry as being very special. She said, “Our victoria phaeton is pulled by Style, our white Andalusian. He is 12 years old and quite accustomed to working around people. He seems to genuinely enjoy the experience.”

The phaeton is used for weddings and other special packages, twilight tours, or sun-drenched afternoons, complete with lakeside lunches or private riverbank picnic hampers complemented by a bottle of Swan Valley wine. The larger wagons are pulled by teams of draft horses and can transport groups of people on winery and brewery tours or to a historic aboriginal gallery where visitors can experience a part of Australia’s colorful past. The Gundrys’ offerings have become so popular that they have been awarded with Tourism Accreditation by the Tourism Council in Australia and were finalists for the Western Australian Tourism Awards in 2000 and 2001.

As in many other carriage stables, the horses are treated as family members. Mrs. Gundry did admit to having a favorite, however. She said, “Our original horse was a Clydesdale named Blaze. He is approximately 24 years old and is really experienced in the field of tourism. He is certainly a favorite with our passengers. What a character! He always comes to the rescue whenever we need a horse with strength and a fabulous temperament.”

Flinthills, Kansas

Romance of a completely different sort is available through Country Boys Carriage and Prairie Adventures. Winston and Jan Sommerfeld and their friend Marge Wann began offering horse-drawn wagon rides in the Flint Hills of southeast Kansas in the early 1980s. They had long supplied carriages for weddings and parades, including participating in many bicentennial events in 1976. However, it was providing wagon trips to their pond pasture for school children that gave them the idea to run a business that offers an old-fashioned prairie experience to visitors.

Mr. Sommerfeld explained, “This is an area of the United States that is pretty remote. Lots of folks remember reading about the history of how the West was settled, and they have plenty of ideas of what it was like to actually ride in a covered wagon. The reality of it and the expanse of the country are often hard for them to understand. Here we can give them a taste of what it was really like.” Mrs. Sommerfeld continued, “People think everyone had a Conestoga wagon back then. Why, those were huge things! Most people really only had a farm wagon, similar to our pickup trucks, that they fixed a cover for and headed west. We love asking school children, ‘Do you think you could get all the stuff in your bedroom in this one little wagon? Now, imagine you had to get all of your family’s stuff in there and you too.’ You should see their reactions!”

Visitors that come to enjoy a prairie outing can come for half a day or an entire weekend to have the opportunity to ride in one of the many horse-drawn vehicles the Sommerfelds have accumulated over the years. The carriages include a surrey with the fringe on top, covered wagons, and a stagecoach that was replicated from plans provided by the Smithsonian. The horses pulling these vehicles are Belgian and Belgian/Quarter Horse crosses that have been a part of the company’s family for years. In situations where there are more visitors than horses, local farmers and friends provide additional teams, including two mules that are retired from the United States Department of Agriculture Forestry Service. “You can imagine how they get the cameras clicking,” Mrs. Sommerfeld laughed. “It is the slow pace of life that appeals to people who come out here. You can’t be on a clock when you are pulling a covered wagon. You can walk along beside the horses or chat with family and friends. It is a very relaxing experience and an opportunity to step back in time,” Mr. Sommerfeld explained.

Mackinac Island, Michigan

A trip to Mackinac Island in Michigan defines stepping back in time. But for emergency service vehicles and bicycles, the only form of transportation on the island is either aboard a horse or in a carriage pulled by one. The island has a bloody history that includes Indian warfare, struggles between the French and Americans, and Civil War conflicts, but it was the Victorian era that gave the island the flair and ambience that it enjoys to this day. The Grand Hotel, built in the late 19th century, and the horses that transport visitors and their luggage to its doors are a large part of that impression.

From the moment the ferryboat deposits a visitor on the dock, it is obvious that a door has opened to the past. Horse drawn taxis and huge wagons wait at the dock to carry visitors as well as groceries, medical supplies, hay, bedding, and horse feed to a variety of destinations. There are horses everywhere – large horses with heavy rubber shoes to pull the wagons and smaller horses under saddle or attached to taxis. Surprisingly, there is very little manure to be seen. Groups of people work solely to protect the roadways and visitors’ sensibilities by removing every dropping as inconspicuously as possible.

Veterinarian Bill Chambers acts as the CEO of the corporation that owns almost all of the horses on the island. He and his brother Jim, who serves as the president and buyer for the corporation, are members of the fifth generation of their family to run the livery stables. Dr. Chambers graduated from Michigan State and spent 15 years on the mainland as a large animal veterinarian before his island home called him back. Today, he and his brother manage over 400 horses and 250 employees.

Dr. Chambers stated, “Since 1972, not a single horse has come onto this island that my brother hasn’t brought here. He spends a great deal of his time finding the right horses for our business. By the time they arrive here he knows what side of the carriage they prefer. He even knows what side of the truck the horse likes to travel in. It is a real love affair for him.”

Loving horses is quite definitely a family affliction. Dr. Chambers admits to keeping one of the two-way radios the company uses to keep track of all operations by his bed so that, even in his sleep, he can be aware the moment one of his horses needs him. He has designed work schedules for each team of horses and all are carefully monitored to avoid health problems. Each driver is encouraged to know the horses on his teams and be able to spot any problems that might occur.

The majority of draft horses used to pull the larger wagons on the island is Percherons and Belgians. Dr. Chambers fancies Hackney horses, and quite a few of these can be seen pulling the smaller taxis and special occasion carriages. Each horse is afforded some time in the limited turnout paddocks on the island every day. While a few horses do spend the winter on the island, Dr. Chambers arranges for the majority to winter on farms on the Michigan mainland. The horses, like most visitors, are transported to and from the island by ferryboat.

Because the roadways on the island are paved, special attention must be given to the horses’ hooves. Dr. Chambers invented a thick polyurethane shoe for his horses to help protect them from the stresses of impact on pavement. Similar shoes have been adopted for use by many other livery stables throughout the world.

Whether the experience is a hansom cab ride through Central Park in New York City or a gypsy caravan rented for a quiet countryside tour in southern France, there is a great likelihood that the livery stable will be operated by people who love their animals. All of the aforementioned businesses have that in common. Each owner began a story about a favored equine friend with, “Of course, I love all of them, but…” Mr. Albrecht suggested that part of the enjoyment his clients gain from the experience of a horse-drawn carriage ride is derived from the obvious pleasure emanating from the driver. He stated, “This is a labor of love, not a financial dynasty.”

Horse-drawn carriages, from formal Shelbourne landaus to sleighs (some with wheels attached) can be found in many of the most romantic places on the globe. Perhaps the romance is delivered, in part, by the wave of the magic buggy whip. No glass slippers required.