The “Kutscher Max” from Hohenlinden: on the road with two horsepower – Ebersberg

200 years ago one would have had to be prepared for a journey of a little more than four hours in order to cover the 14 kilometers that lie between Ebersberg and the estate of Markus Wimmer, known as Max. Today, by car, you can cover this distance in a comfortable eleven minutes. Nevertheless, about 30 years ago, Markus Wimmer decided to found a company called “Kutscher Max”. Because even if carriages as a means of transport have long since disappeared from the streets, driving a carriage has not lost its charm for Markus Wimmer’s passengers and above all for himself.

Horses and horseback riding inspired him from an early age. Through his circle of friends, with whom he shared this passion, he soon tried his hand at driving a carriage, until ambition finally seized him and he literally wanted to take the reins into his own hands. “Then the desire to control the vehicle came up.” Exactly 40 years ago, in 1982, he completed the basic driving course in carriage driving.

But in addition to mastering the device, he was also concerned with being able to transport people reliably. It’s about more than pulling on two lines to the left and right. It is about creating a basis of trust between humans and horses that is based on daily interaction. “It’s always exciting to be out and about with horses,” says Markus Wimmer, alluding to the animals’ instinct to flee. That could make them unpredictable and dangerous. Without trust, a horse quickly becomes unsettled, scared, and stressed out in strange situations, such as a car horn honking in city traffic. Then there is the risk that the horse “runs away”, as it is called in technical jargon, as soon as the flight instinct overwhelms a horse, it refuses any instructions and orders and storms uncontrollably through the environment. This can cause serious injuries to passers-by, road users and, last but not least, the horse itself.

The horse’s voluntary trust plays a major role, since violence at all, and especially in such situations, is not an effective measure and ultimately contributes to a situation-aggravating, negative fear relationship. Obeying orders and imbalances in power can thus primarily be traced back to the relationship of trust. “In the end, it’s not the horse who’s responsible, it’s me. Of course, sometimes you have to use your power.” His four horses look at him curiously and innocently over the paddock fence while leisurely plucking some hay from the feed rack.

A carriage horse, especially when it is out and about in the city, must not be skittish

“The more unsafe components, the more risky it becomes to deal with horses,” warns Markus Wimmer when he reports on the different options for covering the carriages. Even if he basically follows the wishes of his customers, he mainly drives in a two-person team. In addition to size and coat color, it is important to choose your carriage horses according to their character. Markus Wimmer once tried to breed a carriage horse in the hope of being able to have a greater influence on his character development. But despite the attempts at education, it has been shown how limited the influence one can have on the character formation of an animal. Due to his jumpiness, the young horse could not be used as a carriage horse.

Most of his passengers approach him with a request for a carriage ride on a celebratory occasion. He most often drives bridal couples either before or after the wedding. Customers contact him via a request form, on which they indicate the date and purpose. The price varies between 150 and 650 euros depending on the time required for the journey. The customer then has his ideas about the process and coachman Max adjusts to these. It is not always the bridal couples themselves who make an inquiry, but also friends and relatives who want to make the happy couple happy. But Markus Wimmer has also prepared carriages and horses for funeral services on request.

Wimmer’s pool of historical companions is in great demand among film people

A recent fad is bachelorette parties, which can be accommodated in one of his more spacious carriage models. Markus Wimmer owns a collection of more than 20 carriages, sleighs and carriages, which have been carefully covered and lined up in garages, shelters and attics. Much more than what the heart of a bridal couple desires can be found among the pieces. Even larger film studios such as “Bavaria Filmstadt” have already noticed Markus Wimmer’s passion. His carriages and sleds drove in front of the camera as a rice carriage, police, post and master team. Among others, Christine Neubauer in “Löwengrube” (1989) or “Mali” (1997), Uschi Glas and Burt Lancaster were driven in one of Markus Wimmer’s cars. Markus Wimmer has also appeared in films such as “Confessions of the Imposter Felix Krull” (2021) based on the novel by Thomas Mann. Markus Wimmer’s carriages are used during filming as part of a backdrop, as a historical means of transport in the center of the scene, or simply to cover up an awkwardly placed street sign.

Open detailed view

But Markus Wimmer is also on the road with his team on the streets of Munich. Large companies such as BMW or Allianz, who want to offer their visiting business partners an exclusive impression of the city, usually contact him. In addition, political personalities such as the former Lord Mayor of Munich, Georg Kronawitter, his successor Dieter Reiter or athletes such as Franz Beckenbauer did not miss a carriage ride through Munich with “Kutscher Max”.

The “Kutscher Max” also has sleigh rides on offer – only the snow is missing more and more often

Since Markus Wimmer’s horses are used to city traffic, the danger in this case comes from reckless cyclists who hit the horses on their behinds as they drive past, or careless pedestrians who absolutely want to touch the four-legged friends. Especially at the end of the season, in September and October, the Oktoberfest time, road users under the influence of alcohol show particularly little consideration. It is precisely in such situations that Markus Wimmer applies: “You are nothing more than a vehicle driver who has to have his vehicle under control.”

Outside the main season, which is between April and October, Markus Wimmer prepares his sledges for larger Christmas parties on behalf of companies. During the last few years, the sleds were also mainly used as a decorative element, because sleigh rides could not be driven because of the snowfall on the one hand and salt on the streets on the other hand.

Even if at first glance horse-drawn carriage driving seems like a touring chassis that has gone out of fashion, there is something timeless about it as a passionately pursued hobby.