playful instrumental music
All right, cheers.
lively music
Villa Louis is the largest pleasure carriage driving show in the country. So this is, you know, the cream of the crop are here and competitors from all over. My children, Luke and Beth Dahlberg are both driving this weekend.
Luke
What we try and do is reenact what they did years ago. And we dress up and we look nice and we go out in our top hats and our fancy clothes with our carriages polished up.
Julie
Brass will be polished and gleaming. The harness will have the best shine, the horse will be brushed.
lively music
Julie
The people come to see the horses, but also to see a way of life that really doesn't exist much anymore. I mean, the horses and the vehicles they see would have been used every day up to probably the First World War. They can see the horses, they can hear them, they can smell. They can hear the churning of the wheels, which used to be a very everyday occurrence.
Luke
So we do a walk and a trot, and we do different speeds at the walk.
Announcer
Demonstrating a slow trot...
Luke
We do a slow trot and a fast trot.
Julie
You're kind of on the hot seat there, right in front of the judge, on what looks the best, what horse is moving the best, what harness and cart are the nicest. Everybody wants a little bit of a challenge. So, it's always fun to see if you're as good as the next person. We want to get on the road. We want to find out what's new, what's next, 'cause they enjoy it, or put up with it. My parents were into it, so I was basically driving since I was three. It's as much fun to watch them compete as it is to do it myself. I'm just thrilled that they fell in love with horses. And I didn't have to, you know, run off to the ballet and pretend that I like that.
laughs
Julie
So, it's been great.
lively classical music
Woman
The people who enter the picnic class are set up on the Villa Louie lawn.
Man
It has urchin bars, which are these spikes, so the street children wouldn't grab a hold and go for a ride.
laughter
Julie
They come with their horses and rigs, and then they stop and they spread out a picnic.
Man
Tomatoes, boiled eggs, which would have been a typical picnic food at the time.
Julie
They are going to be judged not only by their horses and the rigs, and also, the food that they offer.
driving classical music
Julie
Obstacle courses were going on today. Different obstacles set up with a point value. It's a big mind game and a memory game for folks trying to remember those courses because there's no roadmap in front of you once you get out there.
Luke
You can't go in a straight line very fast but you can turn really sharp, really quick. But after the time that we've spent together, we basically know each other in and out. Horses are kind of the glue that keeps us together. This is just kind of our special opportunity to share with not only the spectators here about our sport, but just to, you know, kind of celebrate all the hard work that we've done at home, and the bond with our horse. It just is our opportunity to shine. Just kind of makes your heart swell. All right,
ponies. - Julie
Have fun, kids. Walk on. Thank you.
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