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Main Street Visalia was already decorated for Christmas in preparation for the filming

We had a great time and felt like movie stars as they closed Main Street and filmed us for about an hour-and-a-half. Sonya and Argo were driving and we had a couple of actors in the carriage who were very convincing in the role of romantic holiday lovers.

Tally-Ho Driving Team with actors as passengers

Star was his usual super-fantastic self and really seemed to enjoy all the attention. He did a lot of standing around while the film crew discussed different options, circled Main Street a dozen times, had lights in his face, and even supported a cameraman on his "shaves" while doing a tight shot. Star took it all in stride and handled it like the big Hollywood star that he is (minus the whining and the outrageous demands:-))

Lights, camera...ACTION! Star working the "Star" program!

We had a great time and even got into the Christmas spirit a little early this year. Heck, even the big guy showed up and snapped a few shots with Star. We will be in Visalia every Thursday evening in December from 5-8PM and three Saturdays from 12-3PM giving free carriage rides. We can't wait!

Star with the Big-Guy!

Isabel is a beautiful young woman!

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Waiting for and picking up isabel in front of the church




What a beautiful Family!

It was a rather warm September afternoon at Jack Stone's Barn in Lemoore where Ricky and Leslie Dewalt tied the knot. After pre-staging the carriage, Sonya, Argo, and Star shuttled the wedding party to the ceremony, which took place next to a beautiful pond. We started by taking Ricky's parents, grandparents, and Leslie's Mom to center stage.




We then shuttled both the groomsmen and the bridesmaids to the ceremony.



Finally, we picked up Leslie and her father and made a grand entrance.




After the lovely ceremony, Tally-Ho provided a backdrop for some wedding photos.





It was a pleasure to be involved in the big day of such a nice young couple. We wish Ricky and Leslie the best as they start their life together.

We had a first today! Star was the sole "Star" of the show today as he brought the groom in to a traditional Indian wedding ceremony on his back.



Thanks to Jan Buckley who made Star's amazing costume - which just so happened to match the grooms perfectly.



What a fun wedding, and a new twist for Team Tally-Ho.

It was a HOT one in Orange cove, CA (temperature 102) for the afternoon wedding of Eduardo and Patricia Rosas, but it was a dry heat:-).

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We picked up the couple at the church after the ceremony and drove them to their reception about three miles away.



What a delightful young couple! They looked stunning in their white formal-wear and Star matched perfectly.



Congratulations to Eduardo and Patricia on their big day!

WHAT A BLAST!

Tally-Ho was pleased to participate in an authentic Indian Wedding in Lion's Park in Kerman on a warm Summer day in June.



We were hired to take the Groom, Viren Patel, and his family along his procession route and drop them all off at the wedding location. Along the way, we paused for dancing and revelry!

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This was the most interesting celebration we have been involved in! All the people were so nice and we appreciate being invited to participate. Best of luck to Viren and Divya in their new life together. Click HERE to see a short video of the event.

Congratulations to the newest Tally-Ho couple - Maria & Armando, who were married at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Hanford on a beautiful spring day. Sonya and Star picked up the beautiful bride at her home and traveled two-miles to the church with her proud poppa and a few of the children in the wedding. If you happened to be in Hanford on Hanford-Armona Road between 1 and 2 PM on Saturday, April 23rd, you would likely have seen us and our wedding procession. We dropped the bride off at the church then waited for the happy couple once the ceremony was complete. We carried Maria and Armando to the Hanford fairgrounds to their reception. Here is a short video clip of the event so you can see how beautiful it was.

What a beautiful evening for an Italian-themed holiday party! Tally-Ho was hired by Dennis and Gina Perkins to give carriage rides as one way to replicate their Italian experience for their friends. They went to Italy on their honeymoon in 2009 and loved it so much, they wanted to theme their party as a tour of the placed they visited; Florence, Rome and Tuscany.



They live in a gorgeous neighborhood in north Fresno that was perfectly suited to enjoying the horse and carriage. Dennis and Gina went all out - their yard and house were immaculately decorated for Christmas, and they had a service staff decked out as Venerian street mimes and waiters in Venician masks.



We also had our carriage decked out in our holiday-best decor.



Sonya and Star shuttled guests to the party from various parking locations in the neighborhood, then gave rides around the block to anyone at the party who wanted to enjoy the lights and solitude of a winter's eve.

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Even Argo was in the Christmas spirit!



The Perkins even hired a Victorian Santa to come and spread cheer. Here he is posing with Star and Gary.



What a great idea from some very creative folks! They loved their carriage rides in Rome and Tally-Ho carriage brought that memory to their party guests. Thanks to Dennis and Gina for including us in their event. We had a blast and thoroughly enjoyed meeting all the nice folks at the party.

We had more fun and spread more Christmas cheer on December 9th in downtown Visalia.


Larry & Cynthia Dove enjoying a ride

Tally-Ho, featuring Star, gave over 100 folks carriage rides during the Holiday Open House, week 2. What a great time!


Sonya singing and Argo...well..resenting the antlers


Rae Rae and Star looking stunning!


Cruising Main Street

On Thursday nights all during December, Tally-Ho has been contracted by the city of Visalia to conduct free carriage rides as part of the Downtown Holiday Open House - a revitalization project. These pictures are from the first night - December 2nd.


Star & carriage on Main Street with marching band in trail.

The process started with Sonya and the Bassets decorating the carriage in our company garage (home). Here is a before and after shot of the carriage...
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We parked our trailer in the Smart & Final parking lot and staged out of there. Since it was our first night, we arrived early and took our time with the prep...


Sonya and Argo Getting ready for the show...


...and special thanks to Fire Chief Gary for his assistance!


Star stepping-out on his route

Just prior to 5 pm, we "stepped-up" Star and we were off to the races. We did a loop down Main Street and back on Center Street, with several stops on Main. It was a beautiful, chilly winter night in a gorgeous town.

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We had a great time giving rides to over 80 folks. From old friends to new, everyone seemed to enjoy the novelty of a horse-drawn carriage decked out in holiday decor with a cute reindeer-Basset, a gorgeous Shire, and a pretty girl driver.



As we knew he would be, Star was a pro. He worked safely and steadily through his shift without bating an eyelash. From heavy traffic, to motorcycles and busses, to posing for pictures, to stopping at traffic signals, and even a marching band blaring Christmas songs, he performed like a seasoned veteran. We are so fortunate to have him on the team!



We will be providing carriage rides for three more nights in December so come on out and see us. The Downtown Visalia Business Alliance has gone all out with music, carolers, and even Santa showed up. If this doesn't put you in the holiday spirit, I don't know what would.

What a beautiful fall day for the Lexington Park Equestrian Center's annual fundraiser. Onboard NAS Lemoore, the LPEC is home to the Tally-Ho gentle giants as well as 35 or so other horses owned by US Navy active duty and retired families. We are funded by club dues and fundraisers like this one. The turnout was amazing and far exceeded our expectations. We had venders, horse back rides, great food, and activities for the little ones. Of course, Tally-Ho participated, giving carriage rides and photo opportunities.


Star, Sonya and Argo loading up!


We must have taken 25 laps around the center. Star was a champ!


Morgan posed for pictures as the "Worlds Biggest Horse".

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped out, especially Jay Thompson and Shannon Lorenzo, who loaded kids on Morgan, and Gary & Monique Alvidrez, who helped with the decor and the carriage rides. Also thanks to Katie Benson who made Morgan's sign. AMAZING!



Thanks to all who came out to support the cause! We had a blast participating.

On Sunday, October 10th, Josh Garza and Ame Burke joined their lives on a beautiful day at the Garza residence.


Star, Sonya & Argo all dressed up for the occasion

We shuttled guests from their parking spots to the ceremony and gave carriage rides to all after the ceremony.




Star delivered Ame and her proud Poppa to the ceremony in style!



...and following the wedding ceremony, took the newlyweds on a victory lap as husband and wife...



...and then hosted the wedding party for pictures.





Congratulations to Ame & Josh and thank you for including Tally-Ho Carriage Company in your celebration.

Brandi & Roscoe Korn hired us to give carriage rides for their daughter Madi's birthday party on Saturday, 9 October. The party had a western theme and was conducted at the stables at NAS Lemoore. We had a blast giving the more than 30 guests rides around the equestrian center and we think the whole posse did too!

When Ibeth and her father arrived, Star was all hitched up to the carriage and ready to roll. Sonya and Star successfully delivered Ibeth and her proud Poppa to the church in style. Ibeth said she always pictured arriving to her wedding in a carriage pulled by a beautiful white horse. We were happy to have had a small part in making her dream come to fruition.



Once the ceremony was complete, we were out front ready to transport Ibeth and Miguel on their way to a new life together.


What a stunning church.


The happy couple being whisked away after the wedding.



Congratulations to Ibeth & Miguel - best wishes for a happy life together.

Here Star looks like he is in horsey jail but he is actually in the Tally-Ho trailer learning how to stand nicely and absorb all the activity going on around him. While Gary is snapping this photo, Tony is actually loading up the carriage in the trailer behind Star. Like most events in his training, Star is taking it all in stride and reacting calmly (which is very good). In this particular training event, Star was loaded and unloaded several times to get him used to the process. We now have little doubt that he will load properly, which is kind of important when we are on an event timeline.

Star's training actually began under saddle while he was at his old home in Paso Robles. His original trainer, Jesus, got him saddled up and responding to commands in one session. He learned to take the bit, tack-up, bear a rider, and respond to reign commands. He is an exceptionally fast learner and an exceptionally responsive animal.

In the picture above, Sonya is riding Star, working on getting him to stand (a mandatory skill for a carriage horse) and teaching him to "give her his head". As you can see, the training session was a huge success. All the skills he learns under saddle will translate into skills he will need while being driven. You get an idea of his tremendous size in this photo also. He is also getting used to being tethered to the trailer, which is our primary base station when doing events. We want him to feel like it's his second home.

Once Sonya was totally confident in his performance under saddle and in his temperament, the harness work began. Sessions consisted of outfitting him in his driving harness and his head stall, and then removing it - over and over again. Once he became a pro at harnessing-up with no issues, he then got to stand for hours on end with the harness on just to get used to the feel.

Star was then taken into the round pen with the harness on and worked - round and round, first at a walk, then a canter, then at a full blown gallop. He was acclimated to the feel of the harness on him as he worked until it became second nature to him. Once he was used to that, then the ground driving began. Ground driving consists of working the horse in full harness using lines from behind - kind of like pulling a carriage without the carriage. I don't have a picture of Star being ground driven, but here is one of Tony ground driving Bartley, just so you get the idea.

Once he flawlessly follows all commands, including backing and standing, he is ready for a "load". We started him by connecting a wooden pallet to his tugs just so he could get used to the feel of the tugs on his flanks and the noise of something being pulled behind him. We did all this in an enclosed arena just incase he spooked (another word for a horse "freaking out"). He did great with that so his loads were increased so that he got used to actually pulling something. Once Sonya was confident in his performance, he then got his first taste of the training cart - or forecart.

He did a hundred laps within the confines of the Equestrian Center and spent hours just hitched up to the cart and standing. Finally, we ventured out the gate and into the "real world. He got used to traffic, weird street markings, gutters, kids, barking dogs, all necessary to desensitize him from his fight or flight instinct. We even had the base fire chief light off his sirens.

After gaining Sonya's full confidence on the roads, and after hours and hours of patient training, Star was hitched to the carriage and began his training for the "show". He has been loaded and taken to strange locations, hitched to the carriage, and driven in unfamiliar environments. Before his first real event, he will undergo several more full blown dress rehearsals and must gain our confidence fully.

We are truly blessed to have Star in our stable of horses. He is a one-in-a-million Shire who is gentle, intelligent, and frisky. He thinks he's a big dog and absolutely adores people. Look for him to live up to his name!

Wonder Star (or just "Star") comes to us by way of our favorite Shire breeder in Paso Robles, CA. He is the cousin of our other Shire Gelding Silver Prince (aka "Duke"). The idea is to train the two Shires to drive as a team, and what a team they will be. Both geldings are currently over 17 hands and are matched perfectly. They both have spectacular "action" and are very hitchy. They are also both extremely well behaved and, thanks to their breeder, very comfortable around people and crowds. Stop by the stables out at NAS Lemoore and say hi to the boys.