American Melody Carriages
Our Partners: The Horses of American Melody Carriages and American Melody Meadows
We are pleased to introduce our beautiful equine, and we offer your choice of horse, or horses for your carriage, lead-around, photo op, driving lesson, horse hugging session, or other on, or off-site horse experience!
Our horses receive regular wellness checks, teeth and chiropractic checks, and veterinary care and maintenance on an as-needed and individualized basis best suited to each horse's unique needs. You can hire us with confidence, knowing our horses are very spoiled, loved, and extremely well cared for. Our herd is now almost entirely made up of rescued, formerly slaughter bound horses, so when you book an event or horse experience with us, the funds are going to their care, and making it possible for us to rescue more in the future!
Because we maintain a barefoot herd, quality and consistent hoof care is extremely important. Our horses are on a regular schedule with our farrier for hoof trimming and maintenance, and wear protective boots when needed. Read more about barefoot horses.
Our care regimen includes a ration of grass pellets daily with individualized supplements for each horse, free choice hay (seasonally available all day and night), free choice salt and minerals, and free choice pasture. Our horses are free to run, rest, graze, and play on many acres of green grass. They have a very light work schedule and enjoy most of their time getting to be social with each other and their human, and just getting to be horses. Keeping them active helps keep them healthy, gives them a sense of purpose, and helps keep them from getting bored or depressed, much like when we humans have a job of some kind.
Horses are very social animals and are also very curious by nature. They are extremely calming, and can take the stress out of the worst day. Just sitting with them or petting, brushing, or scratching their favorite spots, the enjoyment of handing them a treat and interacting with them is very therapeutic, and we are here to share our horses in various ways by appointment. They enjoy visitors and are very safe, friendly, and calm. Ask about our Horse Hugging Sessions, Horse Driving Basics, or Horsemanship 101 for kids or adults.
The horses in the herd have their own special bond, and they thoroughly enjoy life, frequently running, bucking, and grazing side by side or exchanging a friendly back scratch.
Most of the horses will greet their human with an excited nicker, and some will often "answer" when spoken to. It is sometimes difficult to do any work in or near the pasture, as they all want to "help" or divert attention from whatever is being done, and onto them. They love attention and affection, and are so happy when someone visits with them.
Horses will often stand nose to tail beside each other so that one can use their tail to shoo the flies off of the other's face. This was one of Kaliga's favorite things to do, unless his human was around. In that case, he would kindly ask the human to shoo the flies for him. Kaliga was lovingly laid to rest in summer 2024 at the age of 34 years, and is buried on the property near his favorite resting spot.
Another favorite for horses is to stand side by side and use their teeth to scratch each other's backs. If a human scratches in this same spot, some horses will try to return the favor, as they would for another horse!
The horses can be frequently caught enjoying a nap in the sunshine. Horses can sleep standing up by locking their knees, and, because they are a flight animal, they will usually only lay down to sleep when they know they are very safe in their surroundings. Here, Kaliga, Freedom, and Belle are shown napping. Belle was lovingly laid to rest in December 2022 at the age of 28 after bravely battling cancerous tumors for 2 years, and is buried on the property under her favorite shade tree.
Freedom peeks in curiously, to see what her human is doing while her companions graze contentedly in the lush grass. Freedom is mostly retired at the age of 26, and she occasionally pulls the sled around in the snow, or rides a kid around the farm to keep her active and healthy.
Horses are a herd animal, which means they are usually most comfortable and feel safest when they have a companion of some kind. Our horses are very closely bonded as a whole, and each horse also shares a close bond individually with the others as well.
They are also all extremely trusting of and bonded with their human, and their handlers.