Carriage rides liven up Square

It may not have been Valentine’s Day, but it sure felt romantic.

Right off the Square, in fact we were directly in front of Square Inn, he stood tall and imposing. The figure was about seven or eight feet high, yet calm and impressive.

Micky is his name.

“He loves shortbread cookies and loves girls and women. He’ll follow little girls,” owner Lloyd Bishop said. “He’s a Registered Clydesdale, although a small one.”

Sure enough, when a girl or women would pet him, Micky would bow his massive head and submit to the comfort. Yet, for men, he’d just turn his head away.

“I’ve been a cowboy for over 60 years,” Bishop said. “Team roping was my sport.”

Born in Austin, he had competed all over Texas. “I was classified six out of eight by the U.S. Roping Association.”

Bishop got to Wimberley ten years ago restoring a rock house. He’s been together with his wife Marcy for eight years. Between them, they have nine kids and eleven grandkids. The Square Inn is their base of operations.

“I didn’t want to give up horses, I still do that. But it’s a slower place.” He’s got other horses “scattered all around the state.” But when it comes time to give a ride around the Wimberley Square, Micky is the right choice.

He was named Malachi by the family that originally owned him. He was bought at an auction seven years ago and “he’s nice for pulling carriages...(but) you can’t run at him, he gets startled.”

People would walk by and of course Micky ate up the attention of the girls that would stop and pet him.

“He’s been born and bred to travel, 50 to 80 miles a day. But he’s not pushing hard now… He’s like people. He needs a job or he gets bored. He needs to be doing something.” Both Bishop and Micky seemed happy.

The carriage itself is made by the Amish in a small community southwest of Beeville. It is handcrafted wood and one look and feel tells you it is high quality through and through. They also have a bigger carriage for wedding parties, or larger groups.

Then it was time to climb in and enjoy a ride. Climbing up, the fun started.

“Clop, clop – clop, clop.” Micky’s horseshoes provided a steady beat as we turned right at the corner and proceeded to exit the Square to go on Ranch Road 12 and then to Old Kyle Road. Then a surprising thing happened. Traffic came to a dead stop, and it let us in. People waved and stared. “Clop, clop – clop, clop.”

It was unbelievable. Sometimes, even early in the morning, it’s hard to exit the Square onto Ranch Road 12 let alone go straight through to cross to Old Kyle Road, but people made way for the horse drawn carriage.

We proceeded on past the radio station; getting rave reviews from the outdoor loudspeakers that were broadcasting live, and proceeded down the street. We waved and for a few minutes feeling like we were celebrities.

Both sides of the street had visitors in town for the live bands on the Square. One family on the curb had a young Labrador on a leash that backed up, scared of the horse. But what a sight.

People stared and pointed, smiled and waved, some with their mouth agape. A horse drawn carriage in Wimberley was something else. The “clop, clop – clop, clop” sound was soothing and romantic. What a way to travel.

W.E Carriage rides are $15 a person for about a 40-minute’s ride, down Old Kyle, to Blue Hole or wherever in town you’d like to go. They are available for weddings, birthdays, photo shoots, Market Days, and will travel 15 miles around Wimberley.

For more information call (512) 722-3188 or see their website at wimberleysquareinn.com

P.S. My Valentine loved it – even if it wasn’t on Valentine’s Day.