Stately Pace Carriage is an insured Limited Liability Company located in Grosse Ile, Michigan, providing horse drawn carriage rides in the Southern Wayne and Northern Monroe Counties. Our hope is to provide a unique experience for our customers by traveling back in time to an era of elegance before the proliforation of the automobile.

Horse Power is provided courtesy of Bunny Burner Too. Bunny is a 16.3 hand, 1400 pound, Standardbred mare. As her name implies, she was bred and initially trained to pull a sulky on the racetrack as a pacer (thus Stately Pace). At age 5 she had qualified to race, but a minor injury ended her racing career before it even started. From there she was broke to saddle and then later reintroduced to pulling. She now does both. Compared to the large draft horses often used to pull carriages in the United States, she is smaller (more typical of European carriage horses) and more spirited. Because of that, we use a Victorian carriage in place of the slightly larger (more seating capacity) vis-à-vis, but we have a slightly higher speed. Think of it as comparing the family station wagon to a sporty convertible. Bunny walks at about 3.5 MPH, trots at about 8 MPH, and paces at about 14 MPH, but figure about 4 MPH average with a maximum range of 10 miles.

Rates are quoted on an individual basis, as each customer has their individual wants and needs. Much more time is devoted to grooming, transporting and tacking up then to the actual ride. Therefore, an hour and a half ride doesn’t cost that much more than an hour ride. In the event of a wedding, a rehearsal may be necessary for Bunny, if it’s unfamiliar territory, as well as extra attention to grooming details (polished hoofs, etc.).   

You can decorate the carriage and Bunny as long as attachment will causes no damage and they don’t startle Bunny. She has been trained with sleigh bells, which she tolerates, but I don’t think appreciates as much as we do.

Safety is our first concern. We love sharing the carriage experience with our customers, but must refuse the job if the area is not conducive to safe operation, such as traffic congestion, but there may be other factors. You have to remember that long ago horses, unlike dogs and cats, were prey, and that their first instinct when startled or faced with a strange new situation was to flee. Through thousands of years of domestication, it has evolved to a controled situation, but the basic instants still exist, so no firecrackers or proms. We can operate in rain as long as there is no lightning present and the street isn’t slippery. The carriage has a folding top, which affords some protection from the elements for the main passengers. Every consideration will be given to the customer’s wishes, but the driver has the final say in whether to start and continue and what route to take. We also require a footman, who will ride next to the driver. The basic rule is that the driver is the first one in the carriage and the last one out. The main purpose of the footman is to hold the horse during this process, but they are also there to assist, should the horse encounter difficulties. They are also willing photographers.