"The Cutest Pony in the World"

Angeli's draft pony, Blue, is the perfect size to pull the Die Gelbe Rose sleigh.

Round Rock, TX began the holiday season with an annual celebration, Christmas Family Night Friday, Dec. 11th in historic downtown Round Rock. A fellow carriage company, Die Gelbe Rose, provided their sleigh carriage. Angeli Carriages supplied "The Cutest Pony in the World" aka Blue, to pull Santa and his helper in it!

Here are a few more photos of our preparations, and the pony and sleigh.


After grooming, Fiona braids Blue's tail.


Fiona added rhinestones to the ribbon to make his bow really sparkle.


We snapped a few shots of Blue traveling to the festival in the Die Gelbe Rose trailer. He's not used to such an open trailer, so we wonder what he was thinking as he zipped down the highway from Austin. This is a view we've never gotten of any of our horses, as they are always behind our truck!


For those who are wondering, Blue is a Norwegian Fjord, an unusual breed here in Texas, and the only professional DRAFT PONY carriage horse in the Austin region. He looks like such a living doll in his harness, but he is built like a little tank!


Santa prepares to board his sleigh.


Elaine of Die Gelbe Rose drives Santa and his Helper in the sleigh.


Fiona couldn't resist making sparkling antlers for Blue, and putting gold glitter on his toes. Now he looks just like a reindeer, eh?

Even Big Guys Need Mani-Pedis

Horses need mani-pedis just like humans. As you can imagine, the process is slightly different. Plus, even as horses go, draft horses have very big feet. Not all farriers (professionals who trim hooves and put shoes on horses) are up to the challenge of dealing with 2000 pound horses with their 7-8 inch diameter feet.


And not all farriers keep such giant "toes" as pretty as Marty Johnson, our farrier does. Horse feet are similar to human fingernails. They grow out and most should be trimmed regularly, especially when they wear shoes. Angeli's horses see Marty every six weeks to keep their hooves in tip top condition. I'm proud to showcase Marty's talented handiwork in this blog.


Our horses also wear special shoes, Smooth Walkers, that offer them better traction on all surfaces, plus cushion our horses' feet and joints. Many equine law enforcement units and others use these great shoes. An added bonus is that they leave no marks on clients' driveways like steel shoes will.


Here are some photos of the process of removing the old shoes, trimming the hooves and placing new shoes on one of our horses. It doesn't hurt, as the portion of the hoof that is trimmed or that the shoe nails go into is like the white part of your fingernail that is not living tissue.


Marty is a trained pro, so makes this look easy, but it requires anatomical and psychological horse knowledge. Skill is acquired over years and the work itself is hard on a person's back, as you can imagine.


I respect the care he puts into each horse. Marty makes sure the angles of each hoof are correct and the hoof "balanced". He proactively checks for signs of any problems, and places an emphasis on natural, healthy movement. There is an old saying, "no foot, no horse". Whether wearing shoes or barefoot, well-tended, sound feet are fundamental to a healthy, happy horse.


Here our white Percheron shows off the results of his mani-pedi.



You can reach Marty Johnson at 512-484-2586 for professional farrier and horse training services.

You may learn more about Smooth Walkers at http://www.smoothwalker.com. They make shoes to fit all sizes of horses. I encourage you to call Kepha there if you have any questions about what size you need. He was very nice in guiding us through the process, and his customer service is outstanding.

From 0 to 7 in under three.

So for my first blog I thought I might begin by saying hello, and thank-you for sharing a moment with me. Last December this was all a fantasy, a daydream if you will, about how great it would be to be out on my own in the world of horse drawn carriages. Initial steps towards this end had been taken but it never got very far until one day when all the pieces just started to fall into place almost by chance.



One week I am driving to work at another carriage company, and talking to a friend about how wonderful it would be “if only”, and the next week I see an advertisement for a carriage company for sale. We inquired, emailed and phoned a lot, and before we knew it the whole kit and caboodle was on its way from Utah to us!



Likewise, my wish of having a spotted driving team was also fulfilled as I found a lovely pair in North Carolina. More emails and phone calls, and they too were on their way to Texas.

Since then, the road from just owning horses and carriages to having an operating business, has been a laborious one, but I wouldn’t trade a minute of it (except maybe for a bit more sleep). I can’t remember ever working so hard, but I can promise you that the rewards have never been so many.



I couldn’t have done this on my own though and this is where I owe a huge thank-you to so many of my friends and family. From building fences and stall walls, feeding horses and shoveling poo, to setting up bank accounts, purchasing a truck and teaching me how to pull a BIG trailer, to this very website and the business card that likely led you here, people have come out in mass to support Angeli Carriages. Owning my own business, working with horses has been my dream and I know it will be a great success.



As for the heading of this little tribute, well that is a glimpse of how far we’ve come is such a short time. We have gone from having zero horses and no place for them to tending seven, including the horse who shares her lovely home with my babies; and we did it all in under three months. Just think of what we can do in one year!

With high hopes for the future this is me, Fiona Siciliani, President of Angeli Carriages, signing off.

Fiona

P.S. Check back for regular blogs including the comical goings on in our herd. Since they sometimes act like they’re in a soap opera, I’m calling my blog “As the Herd Turns.” They do make us laugh!