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!

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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!

Pete came to us from Michigan in February of 2009 and we were privileged to get the time with this stoic, sweet animal that we did. Pete was trained the Amish way and was used extensively as a work horse, where he hauled timber and carcasses out of the woods for a living. He has a hard, Midwest, working-animal's life and, we think, got very little attention or love. He was not mistreated, but certainly not used to the attention and affection he got from us.

These pictures were taken on the day of his arrival. He was exhausted and dehydrated from riding in a horse trailer for 10 days but his sweet nature and gentleness were apparent right from the start. He was mangy, shedding profusely, and had worn all the hair off his hind flanks from the constant rubbing of work harness. We worked hard over the next few weeks/months to put some weight on him and get him healthy. In the meantime, we got to know him better. We found him to be quite shy, but very demanding of attention at the same time. He quickly became fond of treats and loved getting his ears scratched. He shed a winter's worth of hair and finally blossomed.

Finally, all the effort and expense we had put into Pete payed off. We got him and his wealth of driving experience to use as our primary carriage horse as well as to train our younger horses to drive as a team. The time was right in mid-March 2009 to finally put Pete to the test. We hitched him to our carriage (after some dry runs on the cart), dressed up in our finest, and selected a beautiful spring day to take publicity photos for our company. Sonya couldn't believe how well Pete performed - he was what you call a "fingertip driver". We had the most wonderful day and this very special and majestic horse took to his new role like a fish to water.

Pete in all his majesty. What a stunning animal.

Life is perplexing though and horses unpredictable. A few days after these photos were taken, Pete kicked an iron fence and came up lame. He was noticeably limping and had obviously sustained a fairly severe injury - one he never recovered from. For the next year-and-a-half, we doctored him up and tried pretty much everything to get him healthy again, but nothing worked. For a while, he was just gimpy, but in the last three months or so, we noticed a marked deterioration in his condition. He was losing weight, standing on only three legs most of the time, and in obvious discomfort. With heavy hearts and a unfulfilled longing to see our stoic friend get better, the decision was made to euthanize Pete.

Pete's final picture, taken this morning

We spent two wonderful years with this gentle giant. With the exception of the one day we spent on the carriage taking photos, we never used Pete for any type of event. His life for the last few years was highlighted by treatments, feedings, and a lot of time in a small paddock with limited maneuverability. We willed him to get better, sought the latest and greatest in equine medical care, and kept looking for any glimmer of improvement, but in the end, nothing helped and he deteriorated to the point where we knew he was suffering. Through his pain and suffering though, Pete never got sour or mean. He remained the somewhat aloof, but highly curious animal that seemed to be happy for any attention that was paid. He would sneak up behind Sonya or I while mucking the pasture and breathe down our neck. As soon as we turned to give him some love, he would turn his head away and pretend like he wasn't interested. It was obvious though, that he lived for the attention and thrived on being treated as more than just a farm implement. Everyone who came in contact with this benevolent soul immediately took a liking to him and his kind eyes.

For animal lovers like Sonya and I, euthanizing an animal is an agonizing decision. It is a balance between the loss we know we will feel for the missing family member and the desire to show compassion for the animal. In the end, it would be easy if we could only communicate with the animal, but obviously, that is impossible. We asked ourselves a thousand times if Pete was suffering - if he was looking better - if he was in pain. We wanted him to be with us, but not at the expense of his quality of life. Having a creature totally dependent on you is an awesome responsibility, and one that we do not take lightly. We miss Pete and will always wonder what could have been if he was not so unfairly and randomly injured. I will sum this up in Sonya's aching words..."The beautiful white horse in my profile picture is my buddy Pete. He's with his other best buddy Bartley now, and I have a feeling he's finally able to run strong again on all four legs at long last. No more suffering. I love you Petey." We both do. Farewell Friend...

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.

Bartley on the day of her arrival and me pretending I wasn't terrified.

Sonya has gobs of experience with drafts. She trained in driving with the Yoder Clan in Ohio and had a team of Belgians and a team of Shires in her previous life. She knows what she is doing and knew what we were getting into. I had no clue. Fortunately, Bartley got the idea that I was OK and had a genuine desire to learn, so she made it her mission to teach me to drive. It became very clear very fast that she knew what she was doing and that I did not.

Ground driving with my very patient Clydesdale.

Bartley and I spent many hours together learning each other - mostly her "learning" me, because she already knew the ropes (pun intended). Bartley stood patiently while I harnessed her up, many times incorrectly, and stood with me until I got it right. She humored me as I learned to lift her feet and pick her hooves, taunted me as I gave her massive bulk a bath at the wash rack, and she took it all in stride when I "ham-fisted" the lines and pulled too hard on her sensitive mouth parts or guided her into a tree. There is a defining line when the one formerly trained to drive (Bartley) breaks the barrier from one who is being trained to one who is doing the training. She became the "sense" and I the "grasshopper". I can't even tell you how many mistakes I made and how many times she gracefully acknowledged them, then demonstrated to me what I really "meant" to do. Through it all, we built a bond of trust and confidence in each other.

When our Percheron "Pete" became injured last summer, Bartley became the primary carriage horse for our carriage company. She got the call to the "Show" - the big-time. Sonya was nervous because Bartley wasn't "proven" bomb-proof under fire like Pete was, but after a few events, it became evident that Bartley knew exactly what she was doing. She did a half-a-dozen events, including two weddings, a retirement ceremony, a grand opening, and most recently, carried the Grand Marshall in the Lemoore Christmas Parade. Through it all, Bartley never batted even an eyelash and did what was asked of her like a pro.

Bartley in her holiday finest (left) and at the Paulson Wedding last summer (right)

We knew she was the master when, at one of our events, she was surrounded suddenly by the kids from an entire school and she didn't even flinch. She seemed to eat up all the attention and posed for hundreds of pictures.

Bartley mobbed by her adoring fans.

All training and glory aside, it was the bond that we developed during the "off" time that I will remember most about this sweet mare. We would set up our chairs in front of her stall and have an evening cocktail as she ate her hay and be thankful for her bringing this peace into our busy lives. She would make me laugh deeply as she would grab the hose out of my hand and spray herself as I attempted to fill her water bucket, or rest her big lunk-head on my shoulder as I attempted to muck her stall. She was also an escape artist and would venture from her paddock to greener pastures for a taste of grass or raid some of her "mates" hay. When she got caught, she would make her way in her "Eyore-like" way back to her stall as if nothing happened. She was gentle and caring beyond words, and anyone who ever had contact with her knows what I mean.

So tonight as I sit here on my computer with the smell of my beloved Clydesdale still lingering on my body and the memory of her death still far too fresh in my mind, I hurt for her and for us. I am trying not to "humanize" the animal - to make her into something more than she was, but to me, Bartley will always be more than 1600 pounds of spectacularly beautiful equine. She was my guide and mentor into the wonderful world of draft horses - even if she didn't intend to be. She was gentle, sweet, intelligent, powerful, and sometimes moody (just like her momma) but ALWAYS a pro when it came to driving. I am sorry that she was taken away from us after only a year and a half, and sorry that I won't get the chance to enjoy her sweet nature and spry playfulness ever again. I will miss you sweet Bartley - thank you for taking me under your wing and improving my life. You shall not ever be forgotten.

Big-Bad Bartley Onorati (1998-2010) - Rest in Peace Old Girl

The carriage all decorated for the parade.


Team Tally-Ho: Tony, Sonya & Billy, with Bartley


Bartley ready to step-out.


Our unofficial Tally-Ho Posse - Marianne & Dennis. Thanks for the help!


The Grand Marshall, Captain James Knapp & his daughter


The Knapps keeping warm.


On the parade route.

Sonya & Bartley waiting to pick up Robbie & Ashley


Mr & Mrs Robbie Davila taking their victory lap


The happy couple posing with Bartley - Bart is eyeing those flowers!


The wedding party posing for pictures with the carriage in the background.


More Photos with the happy couple and their entourage



Best of luck and congratulations to Ashley & Robbie. It was a pleasure for us to be involved in this beautiful and fun wedding.

After dropping off the guys, Sonya, Argo & Bartley went to pick up the bride and her entourage...

The girls were gorgeous as they arrived at the ceremony...

We stayed close during the ceremony - what a beautiful event...

JUST MARRIED - Congratulations Marshall & Crystal!

We provided the backdrop for pictures after the wedding...

We are pleased an honored to have been included in this very special event. Crystal and Marshall are amazing people and we wish them every success as they start their lives together. Thanks to Norm & Sue Stewart for hiring us to participate.

The Carriage pulling up to the gym to pick up Miriam


Bartley, Sonya & Argo standing by



Surprise!!!!


Off we go...


Underway...


Sunset delivery! Miriam's wives had a surprise waiting for her.