New horses & touring carriages have arrived in the Duch de Coeur and Skye & I couldn't be happier to have this popular mode of travel back up & running through our estates!

It was a snowy winter morning back in December when we made the shocking discovery.

Dastardly horse thieves, working under the cover of night, had made off with all of our trained carriage horses. May they be perpetually cursed with hoof & mouth disease (the thieves not the horses)!

The stables were empty; the carriages themselves taken.

One sole survivor could be heard braying in his back stall. Yes, braying not neighing, because it was Donkey that remained.

Now I have a real soft spot for Donkey and I'm grateful that he managed to outwit our foes but a carriage horse he's not. He's obstinate, wily & willful. He goes where he wants to go, when he wants to go, and no combination of threats and/or bribery can convince him otherwise. He "graciously" posed with me for this picture but nary a step did we travel.

Clearly Skye & I had a lot of work ahead of us rebuilding our stables.

We set out on a tour of Provence and as Skye says:

Some stables were dirty and the horses were looking tired and over-used. Others were breeds unsuitable for carriage horses. We finally came upon a place with the perfect horse! These horses are elegant and strong and their trainer worked with us exclusively to get exactly what we wanted. They love to give tours around the Duchy once taught where to go. They each have distinctly different personalities and coats and they are perfect for the Coeur Duchy lands.

So we're back in the carriage business!

We've already set up a number of tours with many more to come. You can find a carriage waiting for you at the Provence Coeur Central Hub  and also at the Petit Trianon . Make sure you sit on the left-hand side so that you can select a carriage tour.

You will also find carriage posts at various locations including: The Queen's Hamlet , le Jardin Francais and Port Trianon . Simply touch the post to call a carriage.

Remember to bring lots of apples & carrots as payment for your tour.

We hope you enjoy our new horses and have as much fun getting to know their individual personalities as we do!

Originally posted on Tatiana's Tea Room as Horse Tales: New Carriages come to the Coeurs