Here is a link to a photo of Chubby Sam (Thousand Oaks Classy's Shadow) in todays "All Horse Old Fashioned Christmas Parade"- http://community.webshots.com/photo/106794...516412344zaJtNc. The event began 12 years ago when a gentleman, who rode horses, was tired of horses always being in the back of a parade so he created a "horse's only" parade. The staff said this was the largest parade to date w/ over 100 entries of carts/wagons/carriages plus a dozen units of mounted riders. I heard 122 drivers signed up but only 105 made it today. There was every sort of hitch vehicle and every size equine to pull it in the parade!!!
It was veeeeery cold! Maybe 30 degrees w/ a brisk north wind. Sam had never been a parade before, much less a paved city street so on the police escorted drive from the fairgrounds a mile and half over to the old downtown he learned that manhole covers, painted lines on the road, decorated mailboxes, black plastic bags of trash at the curbside, storm drains and barking dogs jumping up against chainlink fences are nothing to worry about.
He is such a sensible guy that people always think I'm the brains behind the operation and I say "No way, it was the folks who trained him to drive that should be thanked!" and that was our own Horsefeathers who post here.
In 2006 we plan to have the second mini driving and ready to do the parade! And next year I'll decorate the cart a bit more. I was selective about what I did not wanting to have too many things that could fall loose or flap against Sam's side and upset him.
Merry Christmas!
It was veeeeery cold! Maybe 30 degrees w/ a brisk north wind. Sam had never been a parade before, much less a paved city street so on the police escorted drive from the fairgrounds a mile and half over to the old downtown he learned that manhole covers, painted lines on the road, decorated mailboxes, black plastic bags of trash at the curbside, storm drains and barking dogs jumping up against chainlink fences are nothing to worry about.
Merry Christmas!
