About Us

About Us

Tally-Ho is a small, family owned and operated business that is dedicated to the ensuring the balanced health of our horses (mind, body, soul) and providing the public sensational opportunities to interact with and learn about our amazing draft horses.

CORPORATE CULTURE

As Victoria’s original transportation company (1903), Tally-Ho has becomes synonymous with Victoria. A large majority of the local population has either taken a Tally-Ho tour, or worked for the company through its long history. Visitors think of Victoria as a quintessential old-English style town, with beautiful flowers, amazing restaurants and unique amenities.

Tally-Ho gives guests a premium horse-drawn carriage experience that is a charming, romantic, personalized, and relaxing way to see the city. These ingredients help create an experience that our guests will rarely find elsewhere, and it’s incumbent upon us to ensure we are the best ambassadors for not only our own services, but our City and our industry.

We refer to ourselves as the “Tally-Ho family” as everyone who dedicates themselves to the business share a common love of horses and commitment to ensuring our equine partners are healthy and happy every day. Like in any family, our team supports each other, learns from each other, and makes every day at work a great place to be!

Our daily interactions and communications are guided by the following principles:

Responsible – We are extremely professional, on time, courteous and respectful of our horses and guests, and always focused on safety.

Enthusiastic – We are highly motivated, energetic, have a positive outlook, and are passionate about giving our guests the best experience possible.

Fun – We are always upbeat and friendly, striving to give our guests an entertaining and memorable experience.

CORPORATE MISSION

The mission of Tally-Ho is to create a memorable, authentic horse-drawn carriage experience, helping guests discover Victoria’s fascinating past and present, scenic beauty, and architecture.

In achieving this goal, we are committed to the following key values. They are integral to daily operations as they define who we are, what we do, and how we do it:

Dedication to horses – We treat our equine partners as part of our family, and are committed to ensuring they always enjoy balanced health (mind, body, soul), are well trained, form a close bond of communication and trust with their drivers, and are happy in their work.

Enthusiasm for people – We encourage an inclusive, caring, and supportive culture in which we treat our team like family, learn from and inspire each other, and encourage a friendly and fun experience for us and our guests.

Safety – In every aspect of our operations, from training to tours, we follow strict procedures and precautions to maximize the safety of our staff, our horses, and the public.

Excellence – We operate with pride and integrity, setting high standards and continuously ‘raising the bar’ for professionalism, the experience for our guests, and our image in the community.

Family Owned & Operated

Tally-Ho Carriage Tours has been a family-run business since it’s inception; and the tradition continues today. Since 1990 members of the Friedlander family have dedicated themselves to creating a ‘best in show’ carriage company that operates with the highest ethics and standards of care for their draft horses, and provides the public unique opportunities to learn about and interact with these gentle giants of the horse world.

DONNA

Owner

Donna started in Victoria’s horse-drawn carriage industry in 1991 as a carriage driver, after many years of experience riding at local barns. She met her soul-mate and husband, Larry, through the carriages and together their love of the horses took them through many adventures over 23 years, starting with buying their first horse together, a white Percheron they named “Archie”. During those years Larry was the face of Tally-Ho, running the front-line operations and Donna helped with finance and administration behind the scenes.

Today, Donna utilizes her background as a Certified Professional Accountant to strategically position the business for long-term success. She is fiercely committed to ensuring her family’s draft horses are living their best lives; and creating unique, fun, educational opportunities for people to interact with them, honor their historical contributions to society and encourage actions that will protect the future of these rare breeds.

BRIANNA

Manager

Since she could walk, Brianna developed a deep connection with the horses and an excitement for the business. She was with her beloved dad, Larry, every chance she got while he went through his daily chores. She became Tally-Ho’s youngest sales person ever in early 2016, mentoring under Bruce; and then moved on to carriage driving later that season.

Now, in her early 20’s, Brianna expertly guides daily operations of the business – a role her life path has naturally prepared her for. She is passionate about the care of the horses at the farm and how that hard work culminates into amazing opportunities for our guests to interact with, and learn about, our horses. She is our lynchpin into ensuring our team of professionals are able to balance having fun at work (best job on the planet!) while ensuring high safety and customer service standards.

KENNADIE

Carriage Driver +++

Kennadie is the youngest of the Friedlander family that works as part of the Tally-Ho team. Raised on Hidden Acres Farm, Kennadie has a natural affinity for animals and the Tally-Ho business. Kennadie performs all tasks we can throw her way within the business, including barn work; horse care; carriage driving; sales; and office administration.

In 2021 Kennadie graduated high school a year early so that she could pursue her passion for dance at Ballet Victoria, joining their 2-year full-time aspirant (training) program. Now graduated, she dances professionally, freelancing in both Victoria and Vancouver. When she’s not performing, she is dedicated to further developing our beautiful Belgian, Remi, into the world’s next-best carriage horse (no small feat!)

Our Staff

As Victoria’s original stagecoach company, Tally-Ho is recognized as part of the cultural fabric of Victoria, and our majestic horses are known worldwide. Our team is passionate about our horses and business, and are dedicated to providing top-notch care to the herd, a supportive work environment, and an “Uniquely Charming.Famously Fun” experience for our guests.

It takes over 20 people working tirelessly to ensure we keep rolling every day from farm to town.

We have the best office on the planet!

Find Out More

FAQs

If you have any questions about Tally-Ho, what we do, or how we do it, please check out our information page and blogs, or feel free to contact us for more information.

JOIN OUR TEAM

Turn your passion for horses into a JOB!

Earn great income!
Develop meaningful, trust-based equine partnerships.
Contribute to the horses’ care and comfort.
Learn to safely drive draft horses in rural and urban environments.
Full training provided with endless learning opportunities.
Fun-loving, supportive team in a unique, fulfilling environment.

If you have experience with horses, and would like to expand your skills, please email us your resume and brief synopsis of your equine skills.

HELPFUL LINKS

Planning to stay in Victoria and want to know what there is to do around town or maybe need some help with wedding planning in town? Here’s some recommended links to help you along.