Frequently Asked Questions

DOES UPTOWN CARRIAGE OWN IT'S OWN HORSES? Yes, the Uptown horses are part of our family, we maintain more horses than needed. They are rotated and take vacation time off at a farm outside Memphis.

DOES THE STREET HURT THE HORSES FEET? Our horses wear a steel shoe embedded in polyurethane (rubber). They are replaced every 6 to 8 weeks.

WHERE DO THE HORSES LIVE? They live in a stable downtown where they are supervised and cared for. During the day Uptown Horses get time off daily  in our downton three acre pasture, the only company to have an onsite pasture.

HOW LONG DO HORSES LIVE? Depending on the horse, 27 to 33 years. Horses age three times faster than people.

HOW LONG DO THEY WORK? Work shifts are usually less than 8 hours, 4 to 5 days a week. It is important that horses work regularly. Horses like people need regular exercise or they become ill and lethargic.

CAN WE PET THE HORSES? Yes, most of them but always ask the driver before approaching a horse.

HOW HARD DOES A CARRIAGE HORSE WORK? Hardly! The carriages even when fully loaded rarely exceed the horses own weight. A draft horse can easily pull a wheeled vehicle 6 times It's own weight. UPTOWN horses are used at less than a third of that capacity. Our drafts weigh 1800 to 2300 pounds and a typical 4 passenger vehicle weighs about 1900 pounds.

DOES THE HORSE LIKE HIS JOB? Carriage horses (drafts) are bred to work in harness, in fact the exercise keeps them fit and healthy. Horses recognize, respond and develope an affection for their handlers.

WHAT KIND OF HORSES ARE USED IN MEMPHIS? Heavy breeds- drafts which is latin for "pull". The tan horses tend to be Belgium(Brabant). The red horses are a soffolk-punch originating in East Anglin and possibly the most popular is the percheron(heavy whites and black) originating from the Le Perche district of northern France.

WHY DO MEMPHIS CARRIAGE DRIVERS RIDE WITH DOGS? English Coachmen of earlier days (1720's)would bring along guard dogs for protection when transporting valuables. Back in 1981 before the downtown Memphis renovation the area was not as safe as it currently is today, so carriage dogs where used as a deterant. Nowdays carriage dogs ride along simply for tradition and companionship. UPTOWN has taken in abandoned/stray dogs giving them a new life as a carriage dog or barn guard dog.

More Questions????

If you have not had your particular question answered E-mail it to uptowncarriage@yahoo.com We will answer it and possibly post it on our site.

HOMEPAGE .

2021 Uptown Carriage Co.