Single Dray Horses Have Stronger Connection to Drivers
by Candice C. Dunnigan

Last summer I wrote about "Trusty Dusty," an amiable chestnut gelding that worked for the Mackinac Island Service Company. He's back this year, pulling his single small dray. In fact, this May he made delivery trips all the way to our cottage on the far end of the Island. Actually he was there several times, pulling all of our seasonal belongings and a new 20inch electric range. He took our old range back, as well as hauling out the telephone repairman's odd lot of wire, tools, and ladders. Dusty was great, and so was his driver.

For some reason I had thought that the service company had increased the number of single drays this season. But, I'm wrong. They're operating just the two single-horse wagons. It still just seems that they're more in view this year, in fact, all around town.

Last year Dusty was more or less regulated to haul the UPS packages on Market and Main streets. This year UPS has a team of drafts pulling an everincreasing array of bundles. The drivers are also different for the single horses.

The second horse pulling a single cart is a black draft, a possible cross, and probable Percheron. He is smaller than the third black single horse one sees pulling a green and white wagon. The third of these single carriers is operated by The Island House, leased through Mackinac Island Carriage Tours.

Emmet, the horse, with driver Duane on Main Street.

I am an advocate of the smaller wagons and the use of a single horse. Neither of the three aforementioned animals are what one would call "trotters." I categorize them as amiable amblers. Actually they add an ambience to the life of this little town.

In July and August, Mackinac's streets can really clog. They congest and seem to teem with people, taxis, tour buggies, garbage wagons, delivery drays, bicycles, and elusive roller bladers; by mid-afternoon Main Street swells in thick density. Most Islanders avoid a trip to the post office or the drugstore until 3 p.m. or later. The smaller buggies help to pull baggage carts and were introduced last year as an attempt to relieve the overcrowding. There are some store owners who think that they are in fact too slow, but actually I believe they make things easier on the whole.

One reason is that a single horse actually has more of a bond with his driver. He's easier to cool down, fly spray, and water. He reacts and listens more to the holder of the reins than to what a buddy side by side in a collar would be doing. He also takes up less space. The fact that he's smaller generally means that he can maneuver better. This helps when encountering a large omnibus or a group of bicyclists that includes people trying to stabilize themselves on tandems and negotiate Island traffic coming at them in all forms and directions. On days such as these, nothing moves too fast on the streets. A single horse and wagon, if operated efficiently, can deliver time on task. I hope to see more of them used here.

As late as the 1970s, there were a few private single horses and buggies operating in town. These included the last of the Island's independent dray lines and commercial businesses that operated with horse and wagon. One of my favorite Mackinac memories is that of Mr. Alan Sawyer and his old black horse, King. Mr. Sawyer, owner of Sawyer's Greenhouse (now the Mackinac Island Butterfly House), could be seen going through town with his buggy filled to capacity with red, pink, and white geraniums, huge yellow non-stop begonias, and daisy flower arrangements, headed to Cadotte Avenue and Grand Hotel. They were unique and made this place special. Neither Mr. Sawyer nor King ever moved "fast," but they got there just the same.

Candice Dunnigan is an active member of the American Equestrian Association, the Waterloo Hunt, and the Mackinac Island Horsemen's Association. Seasonally she resides at Easterly Cottage.