Dozens come out to see world-famous Clydesdales

Bob Belden and two of his grandsons were among dozens who turned out today to see the world-famous Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales as they pranced through Maricopa on the dime of Golden Eagle Distributors, Inc. of Casa Grande.

It wasn’t difficult to see who was most excited.

“I lived in St. Louis for 23 years and had never seen them before this,” he said while a team of animal handlers brushed the animals’ coats and harnessed them to the traditional, red beer wagon advertising the team sponsors’ alcoholic beverages.

Belden has since moved to Colorado Springs and by summer will move into a home he and his wife, Dottie Belden, have purchased in the same Rancho El Dorado community where one of his grandsons and his family already live.

Sarah Schopmeyer and her children, 3-year-old Joshua Schopmeyer and 19-month-old Gabriella Schopmeyer, were among the first to gather behind the Circle K store in the Basha’s shopping center on North John Wayne Parkway.

Neighbor Melody Traylor and her sons, 3 ½-year-old Tommy and 5-month-old Mikey, waited with the Schopmeyers for the last half of a a 30-minute traffic delay that kept the Clydesdales cooped up in two semi-trailers waiting for a chance to pull into the shopping center.

Both families, also from Rancho El Dorado, said they read about the horses’ visit on inmaricopa.com, prompting them to come take a look.

Once the trailers were able to pull into the staging area, folks began to pour in to catch a glimpse.

“Look, the horses have their own windows on the truck,” Melody Traylor said to her oldest son as they both tried to peer inside. “How cool is that?”

The horses were in town today to kick off a three-day visit to the area. They will perform Saturday at the Fiddler’s Festival at 1 p.m. at the Pinal County Fairgrounds. They will also visit various businesses between noon and 4:15 p.m. in Casa Grande.

Melissa Holmes, the assistant to the branch manager of Golden Eagle in Casa Grande, was in charge of making sure the horses made it to Maricopa and that the event went smoothly.

“The traffic was a mess,” she said. “I told my mom, ‘I get to lead the Clydesdales.'”

Holmes said when she met with the handlers at the Pinal County Fair Grounds this morning it was a treat to see the team get them ready for the show with ribbons and rose buds in their manes.

“I watched them braid their hair. They’re beautiful,” she said.

It took awhile for the horses to get hitched together in front of the wagon, but once they did, they and a dalmation named Brady led the way across the parking lot for a brief stop in front of the Native New Yorker before stopping in front of the Basha’s store entrance.

Robert D’Amato, manager of the Circle K, was among those who posed for a photo with the horses.

“It’s fun to see everybody out,” he said.

Photo series by RuthAnn Hogue