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Saturday, May 19, 2012

All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go

Second post today!  Wow, I'm on a roll!

The biggest happening on our cul-de-sac is Chuck and Elisa's annual picnic party.  It's a mix of neighbors, friends, coworkers and relatives.  Last year Boomer was invited, and he was a huge hit.  This year Bob graciously gave us the okay to use Boomer for surrey rides.  Boomer, having pulled a beer wagon for a very famous brewery*, is a rock-solid driving horse.
That's Boomer in the lead, on the driver's right.

We never take Boomer's good character for granted, and we always do our homework to make sure that everyone has a fun and safe time.  So party prep started on Thursday, with David and Boomer driving the route.  They also practiced standing patiently so folks could take time getting in and out of the surrey.

Friday was beauty shop day.  David washed Boomer's feathers until they were blindingly white.


Unfortunately, after a week of gorgeous weather, Party Day dawned cold, windy and rainy!  In the best interest of horse and humans, we scratched the surrey rides.  Boomer is snug in his stall, munching hay, and David and Chuck have snuck off to the basement to watch the Preakness.  For a former Maryland boy (David) and a former jockey (Chuck), that's a win-win.

* The very famous brewery doesn't want its name used by people that have horses from the hitch.  I don't really understand their point of view, but I try to respect it.  You'd think they'd be happy for people to know that the Clydesdales go to loving homes after their glory days in the hitch. 

22 comments:

Alison said...

From what I've seen of your immediate surroundings, I think you may be stretching the usual understanding of "cul de sac" just a bit here!

What a bummer--no Boomer video, after all that buildup. Hmph. I sure hope the weather clears in time for the eclipse. We won't get a peep here, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some good photos from my Western blog buddies. ;)

Jim said...

Very interesting background on Boomer. I know what brewery! Shhhh!

Terry said...

Hey, it's a dead-end road with a little loop on the end! That's a cul de sac! Maybe the long distances make good neighbors, lol.

Terry said...

I'll never tell!

Lori Skoog said...

Love the new header shot and Boomer's feathers.

Ruth said...

Wow!! You got Boomer's feather really white :)!!
How unforunate to get bad weather to change your plans.
Love the new header

sally said...

Now those are beautiful feathers it must be said .....I want the secret for getting them so white

Dreaming said...

Alison, your comment cracked me up!
Yeah...semantics!

Dreaming said...

Love your header photo! But I also loved the previous one.
So sorry you got rained out!

Calm, Forward, Straight said...

Bummer about the rainout. Boomer's feathers just about blinded me. I too love the header shot. :)

allhorsestuff said...

Hi there!
You are on a roll...I've gotta get rolling to catch up with all too!
Boomers feathers are amazing! Good job preping, he enjoyed that I'm sure, even though the next event wad scratched.

Kate said...

I didn't think I could adore Boomer any more than I already did, but now knowing a bit of his history, I think he is the bestest.

Terry said...

Thanks, Lori.

Terry said...

David did all the work. I think that means he's promoted to Chief Feather Washer.

Terry said...

Lots of elbow grease! We shampoo them with the cheapest human shampoo we can find, rinse, rinse, rinse, and rinse again, then we use Mane & Tail Conditioner, comb through them, rinse, rinse, rinse, comb through again, and let dry while hand grazing. Easy but time consuming.

Terry said...

What a difference a day makes. Perfect weather today.

Terry said...

Awww, thanks!

Terry said...

KK, he looks really good, and we all had fun getting ready, so it's all good. His owners drove him today.

Terry said...

Thank you, Kate. He is a special horse.

fromsophiesview said...

GGGGorgeous legs....love!!!

Dom said...

Sexy, sexy feathers.

Funder said...

I imagine that it's easier to blanket ban people from mentioning a company than to worry about all the possible consequences. "Hire my carriage for a ride with a world-famous Beer Horse!" or "We rescued this poor fellow, a former Beer Horse, from a crazy draft horse hoarder lady." Just a lot of possible negatives for the company.

I always felt kinda sorry for the Clydes that aren't marked perfectly enough to be Beer Horses. The four white socks are striking, but there's so many gorgeous combinations of bay + sabino!

Also, I love how meticulous and careful you draft drivers are. You take such good care of your giants :)