RE: "Free to Choose None of the Above" - Day 350: 5 Minute Freewrite: Friday - Prompt: freedom
Budweiser advertisements, and the iconic ceramic beer stein collectibles, cemented the name "Clydesdale" in my mind - the king of beers, the king of horses - and now I feel like a dork for free-writing "just a Percheron" - that was just an unconscious reaction to Dad laughing at me for not knowing one breed from the other. Dad never cared much for horses, thanks to a pair of stubborn draft horses he grew up with before his first tractor. And he never allowed his five daughters to have something so expensive and high-maintenance as a horse (useless to him once he got that tractor). Half a century later I still want horses. And goats. But livestock is time consuming and ... yeah.
**The Clydesdale is one of the most beloved breeds of horse, thanks in part to its gentle nature
.... originated from Clydesdale, Scotland. Known for its large size, high-stepping action and calm temperament, ...The breed combines strength and style, with very distinctive movement. Instead of the shuffling action customary to many draft breeds, the Clydesdale lifts each foot cleanly from the ground, so that the bottom of each hoof is visible from behind.
I've loved horses all my life, and spent a fair amount of time with people who had horses, but there are still only a handful of breeds that I know by sight, and I don't always get it right. ;-)
I even spent one New Year's Eve with a close friend, and although we were supposed to go to the First Night celebration, instead we spent most of the night walking her colicky horse, who was upset because of the fireworks.
We took turns walking her, and spending time visiting the other horses in the stable, as they were all a tad freaked out, so we spent some time speaking calmly and soothingly, so they would know it was okay, and that nothing was wrong.
But although Gail regularly apologized for our interrupted plans, I had a great time just being with the horses, and told her so. An unusual ringing in of the New Year, to be certain, but a lovely one all the same, especially since we left knowing that her horse was out of the woods, and that the danger had passed.
But can I tell you the breeds of her horse, or any of the others? Nope. I know she was caring for an older horse, that was her horse's pasture pal, and that horse was part Morgan, but that's as far as I remember.
Dog breeds I know pretty well. Horse breeds . . . far less so. ;-)