Top Hand Ranch is also available for weddings, funerals, and other special events. Our Company:
Top Hand Ranch was founded by Rick and Henry Newborn and was established in the early 1970's--becoming one of the first of its kind to provide quality carriage rides in the Old Sacramento of modern times; since then Rick and Dianne Newborn (Henry has since retired) have been dedicated to giving their c
ustomers the best possible experience when touring the Sacramento area. Your satisfaction is important to them and as such you will get your choice of color for both horse and carriage whenever possible. Inquire for possible options! Our Drivers:
All of our carriage drivers are competent and well trained with many years of horse and carriage experience. Our drivers groom and take care of the horse and make sure they are in good health. They also maintain their carriage and follow a dress code. Reservations:
Reservations are not required for the Old Sacramento area rides since passengers are taken on a first come basis. Special occasion (wedding, funeral, party tour) bookings reservations are necessary to ensure that you will have the horse and carriage available you truly want for your special event. Reservations do require an appropriate deposit, call or email for cost and service information. We will travel anywhere our customers want, but the greater the distance the higher the price. Our Horses:
We take great pride in our horses which fall into three types--Percherons, Belgians, and Cross Breeds. These horses are powerful! They are able to pull up to 5 times their own weight, and they all weigh over 1,000 pounds. Our horses work no more than five days a week, and eight hours a day. Most get a vacation in the winter time for about three months. They have their own doctor and dentist. The Percheron is a French breed--colors are black, grey, and white. The Belgian is a Belgium breed--colors are blonde, sorrel, roans, reds with flax mane and tail. Bay horses are a cross between a Wild Mustang and our Percheron stallion Andy that we have raised and trained as coach horses. Our Children:
3 Black Percheron Gelding - Dash, Stash, Moose
2 Grey Percheron Gelding - Shadow, Roy
5 Grey Percheron Mare - Noodle, Jennifer, Diamond, Pearl, Paula
1 Brown Gelding - Sunny
1 Bay Mare - Goldie
Our Carriages:
Our carriages are the French style Vis-à-vis which were frequently used in the early 1800's by the wealthy and royal class. We often decorate our carriages subtly with flowers and lace etc.., depending on the season or occasion. Our particular vis-à-vis carriages have doors for added protection for children and toddlers. This style of carriage is a convertible, so if it starts raining our passengers stay dry. To ensure further safety the horses have had plenty of experience with very busy streets and the carriages are equipped with flashers for traffic safety. Our Carriages are made by 2 different Amish families--One being the Yoder family from Indiana, the other is from Wisconsin. The color of carriages are:
- 4 White and Burgundy
- 1 White Cinderella Coach
- 1 White and Green
- 1 White and Blue
-1 Black Hearse
-1 White Hearse
- Stagecoach
