FANCY FERRIAGE BY HORSE AND CARRIAGE FAQ

Most of our horses are full blooded Haflingers.  We have one team that is a Haflinger/Paint Cross.  The Haflinger, also known as the Avelignese, is a breed of horse developed in Austria and northern Italy (namely the town of Hafling in South Tyrol region) during the late 19th century. Haflinger horses are relatively small and are always chestnut with flaxen mane and tail. They have distinctive gaits described as energetic but smooth, and are well-muscled yet elegant. The breed traces its ancestry to the Middle Ages. Haflingers, developed for use in mountainous terrain, are known for their hardiness and easy going dispositions.

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Special occasion (wedding, funeral, party tour) bookings reservations are necessary to ensure that you will have the horse and carriage you truly want available for your special event. Reservations do require an appropriate booking fee.  You may call or email us for cost and service information. Although gratuities are always appreciated by the driver, they are not required, and not included in the reservation price. We will travel anywhere our customers want, but there is a mileage charge for any travel beyond a 30 mile round trip from our ranch in Oakley, California. Please contact us for additional information.

With the Cinderella Coach, most often the driver and footman will be dressed in Colonial style with white coats and pants, gold vests, black boots and tricorne hats.  With other carriages, for formal events the driver will wear a black coat and top hat, though less formal, usually western attire is also available. For themed events and weddings we will decorate the carriage or wagon to match the event colors as possible.

The cost for our events will depend on various factors. These will include the carriage or wagon reserve, type of event, event duration, distance of travel, and other requirements for your event. Please contact us either by email or phone for a quote. We require a booking fee to reserve future dates. Currently we accept cash, personal check, or money order. 

We have several carriages to choose from.  Our Cinderella Coach was built in Southern California and is reminiscent of the coach made popular in the Disney classic.  Another carriage is the French style Vis-à-vis which were frequently used in the early 1800's by the wealthy and royal class. This style of carriage is a convertible, so if it starts raining our passengers stay dry. We also use a Hotel Surrey for group events, and our military style Caisson for funerals.  We often decorate our carriages subtly with flowers and garland, etc., depending on the season or occasion. 

Click here to see the different carriages. 

These horses are powerful! They are able to easily pull up to 3 times their own weight, and they all weigh over 1,000 pounds. There is no weight limit for carriage or wagon rides. However, carriage and wagon accommodations vary per the carriage / wagon size, and the number of passengers are determined by what's comfortable for everyone. For the comfort of your party please ensure that there is enough room.

Our horses usually work no more than a few days per month and usually no more than three hours per event. They are never forced to work, and being social animals trained to pull, routinely let us know that they prefer going to work with us over staying on our ranch. All our horses weigh over 1,000 lbs and can easily pull 2 to 3 times their weight. Most of the time, they enjoy life together at the ranch where they are cared for daily and exercised regularly. They have their own doctor, dentist and farrier.