County Considers Lifting Ban on Carriage Horses on Certain Roads

While everyone else is running around trying to ban the carriage business, one county is considering the possibility of the exact opposite.

County leaders will consider lifting a law banning horses on Birch Bay Drive in the summer, allowing a local man to operate horse-drawn carriage tours of the waterfront.

The County Council's public works committee will discuss changing the ban, which has been in place since 1985 when the county approved a law specifically banning horses there in the summer, finding that horses on busy roads were a threat to public safety.

A local man, Roger Edmonds, wrote to the county that he and his family want to hook their six-year-old registered Clydesdale mare, Alamar Abigail (Ally) to a surrey and do tours on some weekday evenings and Sunday afternoons. The Blaine Road resident said they'd like to offer rides between the C-Shop and the Bay Center Market.

The Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce supports the change, as long as Ally has a manure-collection device. The chamber said it's "precisely the type of attraction that will benefit the business and tourist community in Birch Bay."

Edmonds said they also plan to run tours around Blaine during the Blaine Farmers Market on Saturday mornings in the spring, summer and early fall.

I like it.

Most of them seemed to like the idea, but one of the issues was drivers having to wait behind the slow-moving carriage.

It's called PATIENCE. If it makes you feel better, then ask him to please keep out of the way during rush hour if possible.

One person suggested doing a one-summer trial to see how it works out, she said.

There's an idea! Start there and if it doesn't work out, you can always say no next time.

Edmonds wrote that he'd like to start doing some training trips with Ally along the drive, getting her back in shape after the winter and showing her Birch Bay's sights and sounds. County officials had some concerns about manure collection. Edmonds said that'll be taken care of.

:D He admits that she's going to need conditioning after the winter and wants to make sure she's desensitized before he takes her out with customers. And he's willing to take care of the manure problem.