A little peach tree has been planted in the 400 block of the Garrison Avenue where a lovable miniature horse named Peaches died tragically in March.

James and Christine Kaelin, owner/operators of the horse-drawn Classic Carriage Tours in downtown Fort Smith, got permission to plant the tree in tribute to the little horse they had raised in their home like a child. The diminutive paint filly was a gift from the owners of her mother, which Christine saved from drowning when the mare was pregnant with Peaches. The Kaelins took Peaches when she was 2 weeks old and bottle-fed and diapered her so she could live with them in their Lavaca farm home.

When the Kaelins started offering carriage tours of Fort Smith's Belle Grove Historic District in September, they brought Peaches with them in a trailer they keep downtown while the carriage rides are underway each Thursday through Sunday. And it didn’t take long for Peaches to become a Garrison Avenue celebrity.

"As a pet she was worthless – she was spoiled and wouldn’t mind us. She would eat steak and potatoes off your plate and drink out of your cup," James says with mock sarcasm, and tears in his eyes. "She had a wonderful personality, though, and she loved people and people loved her."

While people were waiting for carriage rides, or just driving or walking past the carriage stop, they would flock around to pet the little paint filly, and maybe even receive a little Peaches kiss in return. Peaches was getting to be so well-known the Kaelins were being asked to let her visit sick children and nursing homes, where she would brighten the day for every person who got to see or touch her.

Peaches was only 8 months old, and about as big as she would ever be, when she was fatally struck by an out-of-control SUV as she stood by the Kaelins' trailer next to Goodson’s on Garrison restaurant.

Christine says she had walked away from Peaches just moments before a Chevy Blazer westbound on Garrison suddenly made a U-turn, crossed the street, ran over the curb and up onto the sidewalk – knocking down a parking meter, a tree and Peaches, who was killed instantly. Prince, one of the couple's white Percheron carriage horses tied to a post near the trailer, also was injured.

"I can't tell you how bad we felt," James recalled as he and Christine planted the peach tree given to them by their friends and business neighbors at Tip Top Western Store.

"At first we were so upset it crossed my mind for a minute to sell our farm and livestock and just give up. But the outpouring of caring from this community – flowers, food, photographs, phone calls, cards, letters, emails, letters to the editor in the newspaper – changed my mind in a hurry. It has been amazing. This makes us want to work even harder for our customers. We're not going anywhere."

Until Peaches was killed, the Kaelins had enjoyed mostly positive experiences establishing their carriage ride business, one of the most popular new ventures in the heart of downtown.

A communications engineer for 30 years, James said he had been out of work following industry layoffs spawned by scandals in communications giants like Enron and MCI. He said he was about to lose his Lavaca farm last year when he came up with the idea for the carriage service.

When he presented his business plan to Benefit Bank, Kaelin said, the bank liked it so much they decided to finance it.

"I guess our timing was perfect for everything that’s going on, and about to go on, downtown," he said. "We started September 1st last year with one horse and one carriage and we’ve done everything by the book as far as going through all the proper channels for permits, and running a clean, dependable business. Now we’re having so much new and repeat business, we've had to add two more carriages and hire two part-time people. We’re also about to add several new services, so we must be doing something right."

Shortly after Peaches died, the Kaelins learned her mother is pregnant again by the same stallion that sired Peaches. If the mare foals a filly, it is promised to the Kaelins.

"Sometime early this month, Father John O’Donnel (of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church) wants to bless this little tree we’ve planted, and the site where Peaches was killed," James said. "I’m not religious by nature, but everyone – from the City of Fort Smith to our neighboring businesses on Garrison, Claude Legris and his staff, all our customers, and even total strangers – has been so good to us, it sort of restores your faith."

 

Linda Seubold, editor of Entertainment Fort Smith Magazine, can be reached at lindaseubold@efortsmith.com. Read her archived columns and articles online.

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