EP #24 Horse-Drawn Heritage: Inside Olde Towne Carriages of Fredericksburg

Have you ever wondered about those elegant horse-drawn carriages that transport wedding parties and tourists through historic Fredericksburg? Christine Kovacs, owner of Olde Towne Carriages, pulls back the curtain on this charming yet demanding business in our latest episode.

Christine reveals how her lifelong equestrian passion evolved into a unique carriage service that does far more than simple tours. From romantic anniversary rides through Fredericksburg's most beautiful streets to elaborate South Asian Baraat wedding processions - where grooms arrive on white horses amid drums and celebration - her business preserves traditions while creating magical moments. What started as a potential career backup for her son transformed into Christine's own venture, one she remarkably launched while battling breast cancer.

"I am the most persistent and determined person in the whole world," Christine shares, explaining how overcoming cancer shaped her fearless approach to business and life. With refreshing candor, she dispels common misconceptions about carriage horses, explaining that what might look like fatigue to passersby is actually a relaxed, content animal. Her intimate knowledge of equine behavior and welfare shines through as she advocates for the mental stimulation working horses receive compared to their pasture-bound counterparts.

The conversation offers unexpected insights into this specialized industry - from the logistics of transporting horses downtown to the therapeutic qualities of a gentle carriage ride. Christine's story beautifully demonstrates how personal passion can become professional purpose, even through life's toughest challenges. Whether you're planning a special occasion or simply curious about this historic form of transportation, this episode provides a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes. Listen now and discover the surprising story behind those clip-clopping hooves on Fredericksburg's cobblestone streets.

Christine Kovacs

Olde Towne Carriages

[e-mail]

540-371-0094

oldetownecarriages.com

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
, the place where localbusinesses and neighbors come
together.
Here's your host, Dori Stewart.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome back to another episode of the
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, where we feature the stories
of local legends in theFredericksburg area.
Today we'll be hearing fromlocal legend Christine Kovacs.
She is the owner of Olde TownCarriages.
Christine, welcome to thepodcast.

Speaker 3 (00:31):
Thank you very much.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah, I'm excited to have you on today, so let's
share with the listeners.
First, all about your business.

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Okay.
So Olde Town Carriages is awhat we call full service
carriage company, so we doseveral different things.
We're in the city ofFredericksburg doing historical
rides, so if someone has ananniversary or a birthday party

(01:04):
or they just want to have alittle romantic moment with
their significant other, theycan charter the carriage and
we'll take them to the mostbeautiful parts of
Fredericksburg.
And then we also do weddingservices, where we can bring the
bride to the venue or away fromthe venue.
And then the most fun thingthat we do is we do Bharat

(01:24):
services, which is a South Asianservice to a groom who's
getting ready to marry.
So he rides his white horse tohis bride and it's a procession
and there's a lot of drums, a DJ, a lot of noise and it's always
a lot of fun.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
That sounds like so much fun.
So do you coordinate all of the?
You know the whole thing likethe music, all of that.

Speaker 3 (01:49):
No, we go through certain wedding planners that
we've gotten to know really wellin the last 15 years.
So, but a lot of times you haveto explain to the groom and his
family what exactly is supposedto happen, because even though
they're from India or theirparents are from India, they
really don't know the whole realtradition of the Bharat.

(02:09):
So they kind of get itbackwards sometimes and you got
to kind of explain no, you guysgo first after the DJ and after
the drummer, and then I'm at theend and so the the groom is on
the horse so he can seeeverything that's going on.
So it's a lot of fun for themtoo.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
I love that I witnessed one.

Speaker 3 (02:29):
Yeah, it's fun.
It's a lot of fun.

Speaker 2 (02:31):
Awesome, so tell us about your background and what
led you to starting thisbusiness.

Speaker 3 (02:38):
Well, I've always been a horsewoman.
I've been riding since I wasnine.
I went to college, to AverittCollege, and I got my degree in
business administration andequine science.
So I've done about everythingyou can think of in the horse
world taught, rode, competed,and then I just got interested.

(02:59):
I actually replied to an ad fora carriage driver downtown
Fredericksburg and that's how Igot into it.
I didn't really like it at first, to be honest with you, because
I didn't like giving the tourpart of it.
I was like not into history atthat point in my life.
And then years later I appliedagain for another company that

(03:20):
was doing it and they said no,we don't want you.
And I'm like what?
And they said I got, I got ason that can drive.
So they hired my son and heworked for them for six years.
And then the company becameavailable to buy and me and my
son decided it would be a greatavenue for him, in case, when he
got out of college he didn'thave a career.

(03:41):
You know.
You know when you get out ofcollege it's hard to find a job.
It's something he could havedone until he found, you know,
his career.
So we bought it and then heworked through it, through
college, and then he decided hewanted to go different ways.
And guess who got it?
I got it.

Speaker 2 (04:03):
I got it.
I love it.
Very interesting story there.
I love it.
So tell me are there any mythsor misconceptions that you hear
about your industry?

Speaker 3 (04:18):
Yes, a lot.
So people will walk up to thecarriage and they'll see my
horse and she's her head ishanging a little bit straight
out from her withers, so herback and her ears are are, you
know, level.
And I go oh my gosh, she's sotired.
I'm like no, she's not tired,she's actually very comfortable,
she's resting.
And then I go or people ask,why is her foot cocked like that

(04:38):
?
Is she hurt?
I'm like that's also a signthat she's very comfortable and
she's resting.
I mean, our tree that my horsessit under is like their favorite
place in the whole worldbecause there's no flies
bothering them.
They don't have to compete withthe bar, you know, with the
lean to out in the pasture, sothat's their own little spot,
that they're really comfortable,that they're really comfortable

(05:04):
.
And another myth is that it'scruel.
And it's really not, becausethe way that the technology in
the horse industry is gone,everything you put on the horse
is suited for their comfort andeven our carriages like
fiberglass, so it's super lightfor them to pull and they're
just like any other animal orperson.
They need stimulant.
You don't want to keep them ona seven acre lot.
They get bored.

(05:25):
And when they get bored,believe me, they get destructive
and they'll escape, and they'lltry every little thing that
they can to find something to do, so taking them out to the
street.
They really enjoy it.

Speaker 2 (05:36):
Nice.

Speaker 3 (05:36):
Thank you for just telling us.

Speaker 2 (05:41):
So when you are not busy with your business, what
are you doing for fun?

Speaker 3 (05:47):
That's a hard question because in the horse
business it's like even whenyou're not on the street, you're
taking care of the horses, soyou really don't get a day off
per se.
Even if you plan a trip, youstill got to go out to the barn
and clean it and feed the horsesbefore you go, um.
But what we do for what I dofor business, uh, for um fun is
I garden and then I do a lot ofhorse sports.

(06:09):
So I go um, do hunter paceswhich are kind of like a mock
fox hunt, but with no fox, so noanimals are hurt.
Um, and then just trail riding,and trail riding is really good
.
It's a real good way to clearyour mind and be out in nature.
So it's a lot of fun.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
So yeah that's what I do.
It does sound very therapeutic.

Speaker 3 (06:32):
Yeah, my horses love it too, so it's therapeutic for
them too.

Speaker 2 (06:35):
Nice, nice.
So can you describe a hardshipor a challenge that you have
overcome, that you can now sayyou're stronger for it?

Speaker 3 (06:47):
Well, believe it or not, the year that I started the
carriage company with my son, Icame down with breast cancer
and it runs in my family.
I guess it's genetic and so itwas really hard to start the
company and deal with the breastcancer.
But I am the most persistentand determined person in the

(07:12):
whole world so I just workedthrough it and I think it's
Pretty much made me prettyfearless.
If I have an idea, I just gofor it, because what is the
worst thing that could happen?
That's what that's my look inmy.
I guess my saying is what's theworst thing that could happen?

Speaker 2 (07:30):
So, and what a great example for your son to see that
fearlessness in you, to seethat fearlessness in you.

Speaker 3 (07:40):
Yeah, he had a hard time dealing with it at first,
but, yeah, he knows how strong Iam.
And sometimes, though you don'talways wanna be strong, you
wanna have to be able to lean onpeople, so but I'm very private
and I kind of internalize stuff, so but I just don't let things
get me down.
If I think I wanna do something, I just go for it.

Speaker 2 (08:03):
It's a great lesson.
Yeah, thank you for that.
What is something that you wantthe listeners to know about
your business?

Speaker 3 (08:13):
It's hard work.
So sometimes you know people,um, they they'll call and
they'll want to ride, and theywant it right now.
But they don't realize that ourhorses aren't downtown and that
we have a schedule.
So we our schedule's there fora reason, because we have to
haul the horse in, then harnessit and clean the carriage, so

(08:34):
it's not a spontaneous thing.
So that's why it's importantfor people to like book our
rides in advance.
It doesn't have to be likeweeks in advance, but maybe like
a day in advance or at least inthe morning, so it gives us the
opportunity to come out and beour best.
We used to just go out and sitout there, but we don't anymore.

(08:55):
It's basically by appointment,but if I do have more than one
appointment, we'll just sit upthere out there and pick up,
walk ups and it's a verypleasant kind of thing to do,
very laid back.
So if you're in this, beenstressed out or anything like
getting on a carriage andlistening to the hoof beats,

(09:18):
it's just so relaxing.
Like with people who bring kids, I always said there's two
things going to happen your kidis going to be tired of being
confined in the carriage orthey're just going to go to
sleep because it's thatpleasurable.

Speaker 2 (09:31):
So yeah, nice.
And if the listeners want tobook a session with you or get
in touch with you, where's thebest place for them to find you?

Speaker 3 (09:44):
We do have the webpage, which is www.
oldetownecarriages.
com, and they can just booktheir rides straight on the
webpage.
There's several different typesof rides, so you just got to
kind of look around and see whatbest suits you.
They can call us.

(10:05):
We are really busy so I leaveon the voicemail to text us.
Don't ever be afraid to text us, I'll get back to you right
away.
Actually, texting is easierthan answering voicemails.
But and then if they have awedding or a special event, they
should just leave their name,the date of the event, where

(10:26):
it's at, and then I can sendthem a quote and a contract.
So yeah, that's about how.

Speaker 2 (10:33):
Thank you so much, Christine, for joining me on the
podcast and sharing yourbusiness with us.

Speaker 3 (10:39):
You're welcome.

Speaker 1 (10:41):
Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg
Neighbors Podcast and sharingyour business with us.
You're welcome.