BluDoor Studios
For over 20 years, Southlake has been creating wonderful holiday memories in the heart of town square. Whether it’s the Christmas tree lit up in all of its splendor, Santa’s colorful village in Rustin Pavilion or carolers singing merry tunes up and down the block, Southlake has many holiday traditions.
One of those traditions has been around even before town square was built in 1999. Through their family business Olde Tyme Carriage Co., Ken and Anne Murray have been exclusively providing memorable holiday excursions through their horse-drawn carriage rides. If you asked them what their favorite part of the rides are year after year, they won’t say the horses, the decorations or even the holiday cheer. Instead, their faces will light up over the people they’ve met and the families they’ve proudly escorted over the years.
“The first few years we were in town square, there was a lady that brought her young granddaughter out, and they would ride the carriage, have a great time and come back again the following year,” Ken says. “Several years later, her granddaughter has now brought her own daughter to ride the carriage with her and her grandma. We literally have generations of families that continue to ride with us year after year.”
Before The Cart
Let’s not put the cart before the horse. The annual traditions of Southlake’s holiday carriage rides actually start 30 miles to the west in the city of Boyd in Wise County. From its early settlement through the mid-1900s, Boyd was known for its agricultural contributions of livestock, cotton and melons. Today with a population of under 1,500, there is still plenty of room for livestock, namely horses to roam.
As children, Ken and Anne Murray both grew up in North Texas in the 1960s and 1970s. Ken was raised in Haltom City, while Anne came from Richland Hills. Fittingly, they both grew up around horses, learning to appreciate and care for animals in a way that has served them and the community for decades.
Having each come from families who valued service vocations and from parents who took on teaching careers, both Ken and Anne followed in the traditions of community service. Anne spent time as an educator for Springtown ISD, while Ken went into law enforcement as part of the Grapevine Police Department’s mounted patrol.
The Murrays maintained their early love of horseback riding, and in 1986, they took their horses on the Texas Sesquicentennial Wagon Train, a 3,000-mile trek lasting six months that celebrated the state’s 150th anniversary. Riding out across the Lone Star State along with over 100 other wagons made the Murrays realize they wanted to turn their passion into a business. So in 1987, the couple started their own family operation called Workhorse Ranch.
“Anne and I have always had a love and passion for horses,” Ken says. “They’ve been a part of our lives for as long as we can remember.”
Sprawled out on over 180 acres across three different properties, Workhorse Ranch is currently home to 15 horses and mules that the Murrays train in a wide range of activities. For over 40 years, they have devoted themselves to training their stock in several disciplines from farm and ranch work to rodeo events and law enforcement.
Ken says every day is a little bit different, but each day starts and ends the same — feeding and taking care of the animals. From there, Ken and Anne go where they are needed, whether they are baling hay, working on the tractor or planting and harvesting crops.
After a decade of ranch life, the couple took the leap, bought their own carriage and officially launched Olde Tyme Carriage Co. in 1998. In all of their years of running the business, Ken and Anne are proud to say their horses are partners in the effort and not just equipment to be used. The Murrays put their money where their mouths are, going so far as to set up retirement plans for tenured horses.
“The most important part of our business is the horses, so I want to make sure I have eyes and hands on every horse every day,” Ken says.
Horse-Drawn Holidays
Using his connections with the city of Grapevine and the visitors bureau, Ken started building a network and creating opportunities to provide carriage rides in the metroplex. Over the last two decades, Olde Tyme has grown to provide horse-drawn carriage rides for parties, holiday events, weddings, funerals and most any other event both recreational and educational.
But the Murrays' favorite carriage experiences throughout the years involved their two daughters, Caitlyn and Sarah.
“On the weekends, some folks would go fishing, hunting or camping,” Ken says. “We would take the wagon and go on trail rides. Our girls literally grew up in the back of a wagon. That was our family time together.”
At around the same time they started providing carriage rides, Cooper & Stebbins started laying the foundation for what would become Southlake Town Square on the same property where the Murrays would have their after-church picnics. After Ken introduced himself to the developers, he set it up to where Olde Tyme Carriage Co. would be the exclusive providers of holiday carriage rides in town square. And true to their family roots, their daughters also helped make the family business a generational success.
“As we were starting the first few years in Southlake, my daughters helped with the carriage business however they could,” Ken says. “When Caitlyn was older, she started driving horses for us, while Sarah would be the hostess and coordinate the patrons that wanted to ride. They grew up being part of the business.”
Olde Tyme Carriage Co. has helped riders step back in time through their horse-drawn holiday carriage rides ever since, taking in the exuberant sights of town square while they hear the clickety-clack of hooves and festive music all around them.
“It’s the total package,” Ken says. “It’s the ambiance, the atmosphere, the Christmas tree in the center, Santa and the elves in the gazebos and all the vendors in town square embracing the whole Christmas aspect. The carriage rides are just one small part of that perfect environment.”
Starting from the Rustin Pavilion near Southlake’s towering Christmas tree, the standard carriage ride for four takes you around the square proper and lasts roughly five to seven minutes. Families and groups of up to eight looking to create long-lasting memories can extend their rides up to 15 minutes. Families who do it best will bring their own blankets and hot beverages so as to fully enjoy the festive loop.
The Murrays say carriages are generally available after sunset Friday through Sunday. Although reservations are not required, they are encouraged during peak times.
Always committed to providing the best experience possible, Olde Tyme Carriage Co. will always come early and stay late to handle popular demand. Nothing makes them prouder than seeing families return with their kids to experience their carriage rides year after year — and eventually, with grandkids as well.
“We used to have a family with twin boys come out and ride with us,” Ken says. “Now, that family of four has grown to 12, with those boys growing up to have their own kids. It’s those kinds of relationships you develop over the years that makes it all worth it.”