My Early Days with Friesians, p3
You're Wearing What?
We had just about everything figured out except for those livery outfits. No idea where to get clothes like that. So we went down to the costume rental — the type of place that rents to the locals for Halloween parties. We showed them the book with the picture in it.
Starting from the top and working down, they did have a couple of top hats made of cardboard with black fuzzy stuff sprayed on — those will work! No tie available, but those could be made. They had a lady who could buzz out a couple of jackets that resembled the ones in the picture of the men sitting on the carriage. Pants were taken from a couple of pirate costumes. Boots they couldn't come up with. So those had to be bought at the local English riding store.
Off to Sacramento we went. After a day of settling in, we literally dove into a sea of people attending the fair. It was going to be three weeks of this. We decided to use a four-horse team; Laes and Linie as wheelers and Hanske and Jelske up front. Hesje made a seamless sub as a leader and Lyceltje filled in once in a awhile on the wheel.
When I say a sea of people, that isn't much of an exaggeration. I don't recall the other participants of the parade. I do recall it being a long trip around the fairgrounds, even going up a long ramp to a second story. Always with people up close and sometimes pouring in between parade entries.
Back home we had spent a lot of time working as a team and it showed, but the amazing thing was how courageous they were, especially the leaders. They always took their job seriously. Marching in step together, you could say they looked proud — I prefer honest and dutiful. Those lead mares marched magnificently through those crowds without a flinch. It was amazing. This went on every day, and we fell into a routine and started enjoying 'fair life.'
Things were running smoothly and then someone came along and said, "Hey, did you know there's going to be a carriage show here at The Fair beginning tomorrow night?" No, we hadn't known that. As a matter of fact, we had no idea such a thing existed. It was going to be a horse show except you drove carriages. We signed up…
We had just about everything figured out except for those livery outfits. No idea where to get clothes like that. So we went down to the costume rental — the type of place that rents to the locals for Halloween parties. We showed them the book with the picture in it.
Starting from the top and working down, they did have a couple of top hats made of cardboard with black fuzzy stuff sprayed on — those will work! No tie available, but those could be made. They had a lady who could buzz out a couple of jackets that resembled the ones in the picture of the men sitting on the carriage. Pants were taken from a couple of pirate costumes. Boots they couldn't come up with. So those had to be bought at the local English riding store.
Off to Sacramento we went. After a day of settling in, we literally dove into a sea of people attending the fair. It was going to be three weeks of this. We decided to use a four-horse team; Laes and Linie as wheelers and Hanske and Jelske up front. Hesje made a seamless sub as a leader and Lyceltje filled in once in a awhile on the wheel.
Our very first Friesian outing. There's Clay, seated next to Miss California 1980, for a moment without a sea of people around.
When I say a sea of people, that isn't much of an exaggeration. I don't recall the other participants of the parade. I do recall it being a long trip around the fairgrounds, even going up a long ramp to a second story. Always with people up close and sometimes pouring in between parade entries.
Back home we had spent a lot of time working as a team and it showed, but the amazing thing was how courageous they were, especially the leaders. They always took their job seriously. Marching in step together, you could say they looked proud — I prefer honest and dutiful. Those lead mares marched magnificently through those crowds without a flinch. It was amazing. This went on every day, and we fell into a routine and started enjoying 'fair life.'
Things were running smoothly and then someone came along and said, "Hey, did you know there's going to be a carriage show here at The Fair beginning tomorrow night?" No, we hadn't known that. As a matter of fact, we had no idea such a thing existed. It was going to be a horse show except you drove carriages. We signed up…
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