“Carriage Service Isn’t Just Horse Play”

By: Karlee Brown

The holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year for Terry Woodring of Roaring Spring. Mr. Woodring is the owner and operator of Diamond Lane Carriage Service. Mr. Woodring’s business offers sleigh rides, carriage rides, hay rides and much more.

 

Terry Woodgring stands with one of his eight Percheron horses, Trace. Trace is one of ten horses owned by Mr. Woodring.

Mr. Woodring was formerly of Hollidaysburg, and started his carriage service in Blue Knob in 1988. The lane where his home was located was called Diamond Lane, and that is where his business received its name.

Mr. Woodring moved to his current location in Bakers Summit 11 years ago.

Since then Mr. Woodring, who is married to the former Gail Ianson, a small animal veterinarian has added a building, which houses a kitchen, with a covered patio area with picnic tables. He has also recently added a 275 by 110-foot driving ring, where he practices driving his horses. He has practices with four hitched draft horses and hopes to be able to drive six horses by the end of this year.

With this addition of each horse the difficulty becomes greater. “It’s very challenging,” he said. “I’m the kind of person who’s always enjoyed a challenge. I find a thrill in it.”

Special Rides

Mr. Woodring’s services extend further than just a carriage or sleigh ride behind some horses. He offers an interesting look at some of the areas popular sites. He provides carriage rides at Lights on the Lake in Lakemont every Tuesday and Thursday between Thanksgiving and New Year’s and carriage rides through historic Hollidaysburg every Friday during the holiday season.

Mr. Woodring also has four teams of horses at JB Tree Farm, located between Williamsburg and Alexandria, every Saturday and Sunday during the Christmas tree cutting season. He takes people out to find their tree and hauls it back to their automobiles. Mr. Woodring gets most of his business from referrals and from return business.

His sleigh rides begin at his residence and take people on a two-mile, 40-minute ride through the snow filled fields surrounding his home. When sleigh riders return from their ride they are treated to hot chocolate made at an on-site kitchen. A bonfire ring is set up for riders to sit around to warm up and chat. Riders are also given chestnuts to roast over the open fire, along with marshmallows and hot apple cider.

Diamond Lane Carriage Service also provides a unique service for weddings. Mr. Woodring said that he will go anywhere. He charges a base rate and then asks the people paying him to pay his mileage. “Most of the cost comes from the traveling.” He said the most unique wedding he participated in was a wedding done above Glendale Lake. He was to arrive at the ceremony at 6:30 a.m. The bride and groom were having a sunrise ceremony. Mr. Woodring said that the farthest he has gone for a wedding is Morgantown, W.Va.

He also provides his services for birthday parties, field trips, etc. The building that was added on his property is also available for rent. The Central High School Class of 1960 held a reunion there.

Business Expenses

 

Diamond Lane Carriage Service in Bakers Summit took many people including Tony Luther and Doreen Thompson of Hollidaysburg (pictured) on tours of Historic Hollidaysburg over the Christmas season. Terry Woodring (driving the horse alongside employee Ron Jackson of Blue Knob) owns the carriage service. He also offers sleigh rides and hay rides in the summer.

He buys his sleighs, carriages and horses at auctions. In the past two years he began attending the largest draft-horse and carriage/sleigh/wagon auction of it’s kind in Waverly, Iowa.

Mr. Woodring said that every time he goes to the auction he brings at least one horse home with him. These horses eat a lot of grain. Mr. Woodring stated that in the winter months he uses a ton of grain in three to four weeks. Also he goes through nearly 180 bales of hay in a month. He usually grows his own hay, but due to the drought Mr. Woodring has to buy his hay this year.

Mr. Woodring noted that draft horses are called “gentle giants.” One of his “gentle giants” will have a foal in the middle of May. The gestation period for a horse is 11 months.

The Percheron breed comes in two different colors. Actually, the horses are all born black, but dapple gray Percherons begin to spot as the age, becoming a lighter color. Mr. Woodring said that one of the most prominent Percheron breeders in the U.S, Pennswoods Percherons, is located in Centre Hall, Centre County.

When asked how long he would continue providing his service, Mr. Woodring states, “Till the day I die.”

Mr. Woodring reported that in the weeks before Christmas and New Year’s three couples became engaged on his carriage rides.

At the end of January Mr. Woodring is placing a wood-stove in his main building and will be offering dinners for his customers, at an additional charge. He will give the customers a choice between two dinners. Wile still in the planning stages, he believes he may offer New York strip steak or chicken breast as the main course of the meal. He is planning a dining area that will seat about 10 people, although he believes that it will be a rarity to have that many. He said that most of the time dinners will likely be a private occasion.

Although many people don’t enjoy the cold and snowy winter weather, Mr. Woodring’s business thrives on it.