Horse Welfare, Living Heritage
& Social Licence
Why Working Horses Still Have a Place in Modern Windsor
The question is not whether our traditions are old. The question is whether they continue to deserve a place in modern society.
I grew up in this world. My father spent more than fifty years working as a coachman in Windsor and some of my earliest memories are of life amongst horses, carriages and the people who cared for them. Having spent a lifetime around working horses, I have formed my own views.
I believe society is right to ask questions.
Are the horses well cared for?
Are their needs placed ahead of commercial interests?
Does the relationship remain beneficial to both horse and human?
These are important questions and, in my view, they should be asked.
As an advocate for meaningful and ethical tourism, I do not believe horses exist for our entertainment. Nor do I believe tradition alone justifies continuing a practice.
What I do believe in is partnership. The relationship between horse and human is built through trust, care, consistency and mutual understanding. The concept often used to describe this conversation is social licence: the idea that something may be legal, traditional and permitted, yet still requires the trust and confidence of the community around it.
That trust should never be taken for granted.
It must be earned.
At Windsor Carriages, we welcome these conversations because we believe traditions should continue only if they remain responsible, relevant and beneficial to all involved.
Our Horse Welfare Commitments
The welfare of our horses comes before commercial considerations. Our horses receive regular veterinary, dental and farrier care throughout the year. Workloads are monitored and adjusted according to weather conditions, fitness, age and individual needs.
Operating decisions are reviewed throughout the year, particularly during periods of extreme heat, poor ground conditions or other circumstances that may affect welfare.
We regularly review our practices and remain committed to continuous improvement.
Tradition alone is not enough reason to continue doing something. The welfare of the horse must always come first.
Unlike many city-based carriage operations, Windsor Carriages operates a deliberately limited programme of one privately hosted experience per day..
This allows us to prioritise horse welfare, heritage interpretation and guest experience ahead of volume.
Our horses follow many of the same routes and routines on non-working days as they do on working days. Exercise, turnout, grooming and routine care remain a constant part of their lives regardless of whether guests are present.
As part of our hosted experiences, we also take time to explain the principles of traditional carriage driving, the design of the carriage and the role of the horse. Many guests are surprised to learn that a well-balanced carriage is designed to roll freely behind the horse rather than be "dragged" along. Routes are carefully selected with horse welfare in mind, limiting demanding hill work and allowing horses to travel at a natural, comfortable pace through the landscape.
We believe education plays an important role in maintaining trust and understanding. For those who wish, and under the guidance of an experienced coachman, guests may be invited to join the coachman's seat to see the experience from the horse's perspective and gain a deeper appreciation of the communication, trust and partnership between horse and driver. Some guests may even have the opportunity to hold the reins under supervision, an experience few people encounter in modern life.
We believe fewer, higher-quality experiences create better outcomes for both horses and guests.
The horses are not simply part of the experience. They are partners in it.
"Your passion and love for the horses and their traditions was inspiring. What struck us most was the respect shown to the horses and the care taken to help us understand their world."
One Hosted Experience Per Day
Horse Welfare and
Ethical Tourism
Modern travellers increasingly seek experiences that align with their values.
That is something we welcome.
Ethical tourism asks an important question:
Can an experience create positive outcomes for guests, communities, heritage and animals at the same time?
We believe it can.
Our work today is about far more than carriage traditions.
We use our horses to help people connect with Windsor's landscape, history and traditions.
Guests experience a living part of Windsor's story.
Through carefully hosted experiences, we share local knowledge, heritage, conservation stories and traditions that have shaped Windsor for generations.
In 2025, VisitBritain recognised Windsor Carriages as its first Meaningful Travel partner involving horses, acknowledging the role that heritage, education and community connection can play in responsible tourism.
Preserving Traditional Skills and Living Heritage
Horse-drawn carriage driving is about far more than sitting behind a horse. It involves horsemanship, harness fitting, carriage maintenance, driving skills, safety procedures and an understanding of horses that has been developed over generations.
These traditional skills cannot be preserved in books alone.
They survive because people continue to practise, teach and pass them on.
If horse-drawn carriage driving disappeared from Windsor tomorrow, we would lose more than a mode of transport.
We would lose skills passed from one generation to the next.
We would lose knowledge of horses, harness, carriage maintenance and coachmanship. We would lose stories, memories and connections that cannot easily be recreated once gone.
Perhaps most importantly, we would lose the partnership itself. The daily relationship between horse and human that has shaped both for generations.
Living traditions are fragile.
Once broken, they are rarely rebuilt.
Looking Ahead
My hope is not simply that horse-drawn carriages continue. My hope is that future generations inherit a version of this tradition that is stronger, kinder, more transparent and more valuable than the one I inherited.
That, to me, is stewardship.
If, in another hundred years, horse-drawn carriages are still part of Windsor's story, I hope it is because each generation was willing to ask difficult questions and make thoughtful changes.
Traditions do not survive because they are protected from change.
They survive because people care enough to evolve them.
For me, that is what social licence really means.
Not whether something is old.
Not whether it is legal.
But whether it continues to provide value, care for those involved and earn the trust of the communities around it.
I believe working horses still have a place in modern Windsor.
Not as relics of the past.
But as part of a living heritage that continues to evolve, educate and bring people together.
Because heritage is not something we preserve behind glass. It is something we pass on thoughtfully for the generations ahead of us.
Working within Windsor requires more than knowledge of landmarks. It requires understanding how the estate functions, how access shifts, and how to move through the day with care for place, people, and horses.
If you’re considering a visit to Windsor and would value guidance shaped by lived experience, we’d be pleased to begin a conversation.