Amy K.
Yelp
Walt first dreamed of making a theme park while watching his daughter ride the Griffith Park carousel, so even though King Arthur's Carrousel is hardly the sort of ride you can't find anywhere else, a carousel helped spark the idea that became the Happiest Place on Earth, so one certainly belongs at Disneyland.
To make it more Disney-specific, scenes from "Sleeping Beauty" ring the carousel, and of course all the music is from Disney movies. Jingles, the lead horse (she's on the outside and is the one with - surprise! - bells and roses), has a special Mary Poppins theme on her saddle, which was from the 50th anniversary celebration. All of the horses are much, much older than the park, though - I believe I read most were made around 1875? - and were bought from vintage carousels and refurbished. Disneyland keeps a couple extra in their stable (nyuk nyuk) to switch out when horses need repairs, although overall, like the rest of the park, the horses are well-kept, rarely chipped, jewels in their trappings present, the brass poles polished nightly, everything's bright and shiny and colorful. All of the horses are jumpers, and they range slightly in sizes; there's also a bench, and cast members can accommodate loading wheelchairs onto the ride. There are two heights of footrests, for kids (er, and me) and adults. Adults are permitted to stand next to their child's horse, and also to ride sidesaddle (good for if you're wearing a skirt).
Did you know each and every horse has a name? Well, they do. Take note of your horse's face and decoration, and then you can see who you rode over here, which has become one of the most fun parts of the ride for me: http://findingmickey.squarespace.com/king-arthurs-carrousel-horses/