Couple's wedding saved by unique Cornwall horse-drawn carriage company

A unique company offering horse and carriage rides in Cornwall saved the day for a couple just hours before their wedding. Having their dreams of a horse-drawn carriage be suddenly stripped away from them just hours before their wedding, a Redruth based horse-drawn funeral service jumped in to save the day.

The company, Clifford's Kingdoms, was set up last year, 2023, by Jessica Miller after she lost her 19-year-old son Clifford Moore to suicide. Jessica set up the company as a legacy to her son, providing a healing and holistic experience alongside equine-assisted therapy as well as being available for commemorative events.

Jessica was contacted by the sister of a distraught bride at 5pm on Friday, August 30. After the bride and groom had been let down by their original horse-drawn carriage company, Jessica was recommended and asked if she and her horses would be able to step in the following morning.

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Despite being put on the spot, Jessica quickly ran the logistics through and agreed. Immediately after confirming she would be there, Jessica enlisted the help of family and friends to move the carriage and jet wash it before it was ready to hitch to a trailer to load and deliver it 30 miles away to the wedding location.

After preparing everything for their big day, Jessica only managed a few hours of sleep before she got up, bathed the horses and loaded them for their journey from Redruth to Lanlivery.

Speaking to CornwallLive about the wedding, Jessica said she was "so proud" of her horses and was "grateful to own them". She said: "The horses were amazing [...] they love their work and I'm so grateful to own them & have the privilege of working with them. It was a lovely feeling when they family thanked us and said we saved the day."

Not only did Jessica and Clifford's Kingdom rescue the special day for one couple, they also helped a family say goodbye to a beloved mum.

Jessica said: "One lady, Sandra, had passed of cancer & had organised her funeral for her final journey to be horse and carriage. Very sadly the week before her funeral one of the horses went lame and the coach master regrettably had to let them down.

"The daughter came to my address at 7pm the night before the funeral and was desperate for help to carry out her mums final wishes. I said I would love to do it, but my wedding/day carriage is only 4ft wide on the back.

"Her daughter, with humour, responded 'That's OK, my mum was only 5ft 2. We could put her on side ways'."

After the moving service, Jessica reflected on her own loss saying she was "immensely proud" to be there for other grieving people and their loved ones. She said: "Having experienced losing my 19-year-old Clifford three and a half years ago, it gives me a great sense of achievement to know I can be there for others grieving for their loved ones."

Jessica's resident stallion, Whyatt, recently made a little girl's birthday wish come true. Attending a birthday party donned with a horn, Whyatt and Jessica made the party even more special, arriving as a much anticipated unicorn.

Jessica also said she is proud to work with her horses and that she has raised them since they were young foals. The Suffolk Punch are currently at the top of the critically endangered breed list with the rare breed survival trust.

Championing Suffolk Punch horses, Clifford's Kingdom offers carriage rides for special occasions, as well as the opportunity to work closely with the animals to promote mental healing.

Clifford's Kingdom describes the Suffolk Punch as: "More than just a symbol of strength, the Suffolk Punch embodies resilience and endurance, traits deeply ingrained through generations of selective breeding and meticulous care. As one of the oldest and rarest draft horse breeds in existence, each Suffolk Punch carries with it a living legacy of perseverance and adaptability."