Wedding Carriage
The carriage we use currently for our weddings is a craftsman built replica of a 19th century Landau. However, the originals were rickety and draughty and would not be ideal for the modern roads. With bow-spring suspension and disk brakes on all four wheels, you will ride in comfort and safety. Also, original Landaus were covered by two folding canopies, one at the rear and one at the front, which met awkwardly in the middle. Side windows would have consisted of open spaces with pull-down leather flaps or blinds. Our Landau has a glass fronted frame and side windows which cleverly fold away under the driver's seat. The back is a tensioned leather canopy which also folds flat to give a fully open carriage. If the wind picks up, the front can be raised and secured to form a wind barrier whilst maintaining the open aspect for the passengers. The interior is of plush red velvet with ornate gold embroidered edging. Having been built on a larger scale than most other similar carriages, it boasts both front and rear facing seats and enough room to seat four large adults. Side windows may be opened for the comfort of passengers using a leather strap hanging system similar to that of the old steam railway carriages. For the colder days, blankets can be provided (the victorians would have used hot coals under the seats!)
Wagonette
The wagonette (of which there are two) is used for the more 'Rustic' event such as country drives, New Forest tours, children's parties, fun drives etc.   The larger of the two wagonettes seats 6 adults or 8 children or combinations thereof. It is made of solid wood, mainly polished english oak and elm with delicate turned spindles and other ornate features. The passengers sit quite high behind the driver providing an open aspect feel with unrestricted views of the countryside.   The other wagonette is designed for a more rugged journey. It is made of coated steel with strong sturdy wheel frames equipped with pneumatic, chunky tyres. Ideal for the more off-road adventures and with a reasonably low tail platform makes travelling through fords and rivers much more fun!   Because of its added strength, this is the vehicle we use for the horses' daily exercise and if you would like to join us for the ride we would be happy to accommodate you though exercise trips always take place from the stables of course and at a time that fits in with their schedule (usually mid evening during week days. Weekends subject to the commercial work requirements).   If you are staying at the Salisbury Caravan Club site situated at the end of our lane, then you are ideally placed to take advantage of this impromtu service.
The Horses   Hercules & Samson	Believe it or not, these two horses are normally black! We have learned that if they are left out in the sun too long, they start to go brown. This is caused by bleaching but a few days indoors and they go black again! video link to youtube see the pair undergoing training Click on the picture above and it will take you to the Youtube site of our friend, horse trainer Barry Hook. As you will see, Samson and Hercules aren't afraid of much and have had a great deal of experience since the film was made.
Meet Hercules(R) and Samson(L). Two strong names for two strong boys. Their registered names are Jites and Johannes fan de Woestenhoeve. They are pure bred Friesian horses and were born at the only permitted Friesian stud in the Netherlands before being exported to the UK. The reason the stud is restricted is due to the breed having nearly died out through cross breeding. By the 1960s there were only a few known pure breed stallions in the Netherlands (the home of Friesians) and desperate attempts were made to save them from 'extinction'. As it happened, many hundreds of Friesians were sent out to America in the early 1800s to New Amsterdam, later renamed New York, as they are such hard working horses and required to haul the building materials for the now famous New York skyline. A small number of pure Friesian stallions were found and they were able to mate with the Dutch mares via artificial insemination. A controlled system was set up to ensure that every single pure bred Friesian horse from then onwards had to be registered in the one existing stud book held at the original stud in Friesaland, Netherlands. All Friesian horses should be absolutely black. There are some brown ones but these have cross breeding in the genetic chain. Some may have white markings on the forehead but again these are not the purest of the breed. Hercules and Samson are as black as the ace of spades with the characteristic long black wavey mane and tail. Only four years old, they have some further maturing to do before they become like the majestic beasts that their fathers have become over in the USA. Incidentally, Hercules is the 'uncle' of Samson though Samson is older by four months!