We are pretty excited here at Tally-Ho. On Thursday we drove down to Paso to pick up the newest addition to the Tally-Ho Team - Silver Prince. He is a registered Shire who is only 18 months old. We were very anxious to get him but a little nervous because horses are so unpredictable, especially when so young. He has never even been trailered or taken a trip so, needless to say, this was going to be interesting. As it turns out, we were right to be a bit worried. We couldn’t get the big boy in our trailer no matter how much coaxing we provided. He would get his two front feet on the ramp and then he would put the brakes on. No matter how much you will an animal that big, if he doesn’t want to go, he doesn’t go. After about an hour or so, we finally loaded his pasture-mate into the trailer and Prince went right in after him. Other than a small gash on his forehead, he was no worse for wear once we got him to his new home aboard NAS Lemoore. He is now in quarantine until Tuesday, but settling in and doing well. On a separate note, although his registered name is Silver Prince, we have decided to call him Duke, after my 15 year-old Doberman who we put down several years ago. Plus, he just looks like a Duke! Here are some pictures of the newly gelded Duke.

I can’t believe it...two sunny days in a row in the valley in winter. Miracles will never cease. Which means a GREAT day to play with horses at the stables.

We’ve decided that with most of our concentration focused on our draft horses and driving, Rosie (our Arab) was getting lost in the shuffle. A difficult decision was made, and we put Rosie up for sale last week. She really is a pretty little arabian with a beautiful, typey head, but like all horses, she needs lots of attention and a job. Lunging her every other day and riding her twice a week wasn’t cutting it-she needs to be someone’s special baby. That said, a few folks came out to see her, but one family fell in love, and that’s all she wrote!

The great news is Rosie will remain here at NAS Lemoore, at our boarding stables, so although she will have a new Mom, she will still be part of our lives and I love that I can still visit with the always ready carrot. Congrats to Jordan and Rhonda on the new addition to your life. We hope you love her as much as we do.

Last I wrote, I had taken a day trip to Paso Robles to look at Shires. (Shires in my blood, what can I say?) Two horses caught my attention. I took Tony back down that following Sunday, and we both decided “Silver Prince” would be the horse for us. He is about 19 months old, so he is young yet for pulling stuff, but I do want to get him going on the bit, learning to ground drive, etc. He is going to be a BIG horse, so the sooner I get him super gentle and trained, the better. We put a deposit on him, and are hoping to bring him home at the end of the month once he is gelded and healed. I will post pics. We think we are going to name him “Cyde”.

It’s time to head to the stables and begin the day. My goal for today is to give stable orientation to both Jordan and her Mom and hang out with horsies for awhile. A perfect start to the day if you ask me!

Hope your day is starting off just as great as mine!~

Happy New Year everyone! To start off the new year, I decided to take a drive south to Paso Robles. I’ve been looking for another horse to buy-not just any horse, but a grey Shire. I feel like a grey Shire would be a nice addition to our carriage business. This way, we can give our customers the option of either a classic Clydesdale, or the elegant and refined Shire. Grey shires eventually turn white, and a white horse and white carriage seem to go together like peas and carrots. That said-Bogey, Argo, Snoops and myself drove the hour and fifteen minutes to Paso to visit a Shire Ranch called Huska Millenium. As soon as I turned into the driveway I was in horse heaven! Shires everywhere! Black shires, bay shires, gray shires, and a few others as well. Heinz, the owner and breeder, met me in the driveway. We spent the next three hours looking at horses, driving his Meadowbrook cart with his amazing stallion King, and talking horse talk. It seems both Heinz, his wife, and I learned to drive many moons ago at the same location in Amish country in Sugarcreek, Ohio...small world, huh? I will post some pictures tomorrow. My camera decided to die, so Heinzs’ daughter took some photos and promised to email them to me. Did I find a horse I liked? Uhhh, yeah! All of them! Actually, two horses stood out, Megan and Silver Prince. Stand by for future info on this jaunt.