Father, Son Get Horse & Carriage Ready For Parade

NORTH OGDEN, UTAH — In the heart of North Ogden, you’ll find three beautiful Gypsy Baron horses.

You’ll also find a father and son who, for the past for years, have volunteered their time to get those horses ready for the Ogden Pioneer Days Parade.

“My grandmother was involved in the Daughters of Utah Pioneers so its kind of a big honor for us,” Jason Taylor says.

The Taylor family has a rich pioneer history. Lamar’s great-grandfathers helped settle Nauvoo, Illinois, before their families trekked west.

“Pioneer heritage means an awful lot to me, and our family is deeply rooted in it. It comes from all sides of my family,” Lamar Taylor says.

Which is why when the Taylors were asked if they would be willing to find a carriage, get their horses ready and pull the Weber County Daughters of Utah Pioneers royalty in the parade, they said yes!

Sharon Sevy is a Weber County DUP Museum board member and nominated the Taylors for the KSL High 5. She gave us a glimpse of their work from years past.

“They are the most generous kind men you’ll ever know. They help the queens get out of the carriage, they ride on these great big horses.”

And like the generous gentlemen that they are, they hitched up Limerick to give us that same royal treatment.

During our ride, I got a chance to meet the lovely and quick-witted 86-year-old Renee Warner. She was the first real royalty to ride in the carriage when she was queen in 2016. Her grandfather was the first mayor of Ogden, serving 20 years for only a dollar.

She had this message for the Taylors: “We as the Daughters of Pioneers Weber County are so grateful to them. We’re really grateful that they would take the time during this busy season to do this.”

“But for us it’s fulfilling to be able to share them with a lot of people,” Lamar Taylor says. “And this is a great group to be able to share them with.”