An occupational therapy student has a magical summer occupation driving Cinderella’s carriage in the Old Market.

Paige Roberts, a second-year occupational therapy student, spends her weekends clip-clopping down the cobblestone streets of the Old Market, perched behind horses she holds near and dear. She has been working for Magical Journey Carriage Service since May 2007, taking care of the horses, cleaning carriages and meeting all sorts of interesting people.

“It’s like having a night life, but getting paid,” Paige said.

Though the job is tiring, Paige enjoys having fun with her co-workers, learning and sharing facts about the downtown Old Market, and especially spending time with the horses.

“Being in control of such a powerful animal gives me a rush,” Paige said. “I feel free when I am riding, showing or driving downtown. I also find taking care of the horses throughout the night is relaxing.”

Paige works from May to January, which gives her plenty of time to take care of her three favorite horses, Strike, Bleu and Elvis.

She begins her shift on Friday and Saturday nights at 20th and Farnam around 5 p.m. Paige chooses which horse she wants to use for the night, and then gets him ready to impress the passengers. Since the horses are brought in daily from an acreage north of Bennington, Neb., Paige takes time to bathe her horse, clean his hooves, braid his mane and put on his shock-absorbing boots.

“Honestly, they’re treated better than the humans are,” Paige said of the pampered horses, who work two to three nights per week.

After cleaning one of the 11 carriages, Paige hooks it up to her horse and heads to 11th and Howard, where the carriage drivers wait and hope for friendly customers who will tip them well. Paige drives the carriage from approximately 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., transporting little girls dressed as princesses celebrating their birthdays in the Cinderella carriages, couples celebrating anniversaries and even those who have had a little too much to drink at the bar.

Although she hasn’t been driving carriages all of her life, Paige has grown up riding horses. The Broomfield, Colo. native showed horses competitively for years, traveling across the country looking at horses and watching horse shows every weekend. When she wasn’t at a show, she was practicing five days a week.

When she moved to Omaha to attend Creighton, Paige missed riding and working with her horses back home.

“It was like I was having horse withdrawals,” Paige said.

So, when she looked down from her apartment and saw people working with horses at the Magical Journey Carriage Service, Paige asked the owner if he could use any help. He interviewed her immediately and hired her soon after.

“She had the most glowing references of anyone I’ve ever called on,” said Mark Donovan, the Magical Journey Carriage Service owner.

Donovan, who has owned the company for 30 years, describes Paige as personable and articulate. Paige’s co-worker, Jen Roncek, agrees.

“She’s always really helpful, and always good for a laugh,” Roncek said.

There isn’t much Paige dislikes about her job. On a good night, she makes approximately $100 including tips. However, the weather and rude people are sometimes downfalls to driving a carriage downtown. Many people avoid taking carriage rides due to cold winter weather, which can sometimes leave Paige feeling that her night is a waste as she sits wearing 11 layers of clothing.

Some people honk, yell rude comments or rev up their motorcycles as they follow the carriages driving down the streets.

“For the most part, I can take it in stride, but it is most difficult to deal with comments about how the animals are treated, and the people who intentionally do things to see if the drivers or the horses will react,” Paige said.

She realizes that she won’t always have a good night for tips and might have to deal with attitude from her horse or customers. Otherwise, Paige just loves spending time with the horses and observing her passengers.

This could possibly be Paige’s last summer to drive the carriage, since she will have field work in the future as an occupational therapy student. However, she feels her current job can help her in her future career. For instance, since Paige wants to work with children, she can observe a lot of them when they ride in the Cinderella carriage.

“I see it as learning to work with different people in all walks of life,” Paige said.

Although her job of driving horse-drawn carriages isn’t always magical, it provides Paige with some interesting stories, money and the opportunity to care for and work with the animals she loves.