You will have an unforgettable trip when you see the majestic Clydesdale horses in person. Last Spring, I was down in Missouri and found out that just a short drive from Columbia, MO, I would be able to visit the infamous Clysedales – yes, those Budweiser horses.

Tour

Clydesdale’s training and breeding facility are called the Warm Springs Ranch. Located about 20 minutes outside Columbia, MO., it’s an affordable trip and is roughly $15 per person.

Upon arrival, you line up at the main gate, and when the tour is ready, you are escorted to the barn. This is where for the beer drinkers, this is when you get to enjoy a cold glass of Budweiser beer. Of course, this is an optional feature of the tour.

The day we visited was a 90+F day, and although I was not a beer drinker, I could not resist that cold glass of beer. And the good news is, you get to walk around with it as you tour the venue. But I digress, and not the highlight of the tour.

When you visit, you walk through the whole complex, from the area where mares are giving birth to their foals to the Budweiser trailers that transport the horses to the Budweiser stagecoach. So you get to see it all. You even get to see those massive harnesses when they pull the coaches.

As you weave through the facility, you hear many of the technical facts around how they care for these horses, help the mares give birth, and also the kind of training the coach driver must have in order to control these very powerful horses. (They of course make it look easy!)

While there, we mostly saw female horses with their young foals on our tour. The majority of the male horses were on the road except for a couple outside in the paddock or just resting in the barn. Apparently, the one left in the barn is not quite a team player and enjoys his own thing, so he stays behind and visits with the other horses or us visitors.

The tour’s highlight was seeing the horses up close, and I was mesmerized. I loved petting them. I felt a connection with the horses. This is said by someone who has NEVER come that close to a live horse. You look into their eyes and tell them they are communicating with you.

They are very tall animals, and they have such a presence. Frankly, I was speechless when these animals walked past you with their confident and majestic gait. The white “socks” against the brown coat – the classic Clydesdale look – makes them stunning.

In the end, I saw about 10 Clydesdales from young to mature adults on tour. You are provided ample time to visit the horses, and your host is full of information and facts. You are never rushed, and for $15, the tour was worth every penny and then some.

And yes, like every tourist organization out there, you also can take home some souvenirs – anything from calendars to plush toys, to clothing to rare artifacts – the souvenir shop has it all.

A Few Facts about Clydesdales

The horses:

Were first developed in the 1700s in Scotland
Are now located in England, Canada, Australia, and the US.
Are draft horses which means their job is to be pullers or strong working horses
Are about 16 to 17 hands tall and are one of the tallest horses
Have hooves that can be the size of a plate
Are docile and friendly
Are endangered

Bliss Reflection

Each time I visit either zoos or farms, I am immediately reminded that humans are not the superior species. Instead, I find that I understand that we are part of this web of animals and species, each relying on one another. I think that’s evident as a pet owner and in my previous blogs.

And you are reminded of this interconnectedness when you look into the eyes of these horses. While they are workhorses, they have intelligence and deep feelings. You see it in their eyes.

Horses deserve our respect. They help us accomplish many things, from transporting our products and supplies to allowing us to enjoy some recreation. They bring us a lot of joy, and the next time I encounter a horse, I will try not to overlook them and view them just as domestic animals.

This trip to visit the Clydesdales was very memorable. To this day, I am so happy that I chose to pick “learning and stretching my thinking” over just visiting another mall.

My only regret is I have spent overlooking these animals. And it took me being on vacation to appreciate them so many years later.

So the next time you go on a trip, what stretching will you do?

Bliss Hints and Tips

For more information about the tour that I did at the Warm Springs Ranch, click here.
Check out the Clydesdale Horse Association of Canada for the go-to resource about these horses.
For more interesting facts about these horses, check out this blog for 7 Interesting Facts.
Check this out for more information on the conservation movement around these horses.
And now a book that helps you “Think Like a Horse”.

Like many, we‘ve been hit with snow storm after snow storm up here, and its been a long, hard and cold winter. Snow drifts are almost a regular feature and never have I seen the snow piled so high in my yard. Maybe more on that in a later post.

So how is this connected to joy? Well, sometimes you have to just find it! And this weekend, my sister and made that choice! Off we went in blizzard-like conditions to the Festival Du Voyageur, a local festival honouring Manitoba’s Francophone community. Festival is just that – a festival of food, music, history, outdoor play and amazing snow sculptures. In fact, Festival usually draws snow sculpture artists from all over the world. You can even try the local food including delicious pea soup, bannock, tourtiere (meat pie), and to-die-for maple sugar pie. You should also try the “caribou” – a port-like tasting alcoholic drink that will warm you up right away!

You also can learn more about the history of the fur trading routes including the role of Fort Gibralter, which I learned had a main purpose of being a provisioning fort for the voyageurs travelling through the region. I’ve got a curious mind, so I made it a point to ask each of the staff more questions about the fort and learned a lot about a generation of people way before my time.

Whether you want to go with your girlfriends, or with your family, or just with you and your adult sister –Festival is for you! It’s a great way to spend an afternoon or evening, and even adults without kids can have a great time!

Bliss Reflection #11

I think my bliss moment at Festival came when out of the blue, one of staff invited my sister and I to go down a slide (with the kids). Years ago, I would have said “no thanks” – maybe too cool, maybe thought I was too old, or whatever. But this year, my answer was “yes!” And off we went.

At first I just kept thinking “don’t get stuck” but I quickly realized I had to let go of that thought and just enjoy the moment. So down I went, and I felt the “pure joy” just like I did when I was a kid going down slides in the park. For those brief seconds, I was reminded what being worry-free felt like.

I think that’s something we forget as adults – how to allow ourselves to have those moments to be worry free or even free to just enjoy that moment without judgment or deep thought. Down that slide, for those few seconds, I was elated. And when I popped out the other end, I laughed so hard. And it made me wonder – if I had said no, I would have missed out on this moment. And there in that moment, I promised myself not to say no to these kinds of moments anymore.

My “inside-my-head” voice would have prevented me from going down the slide. How many times do we allow that voice to win and we miss out? I think we may do that too much. That brief slide for me, made me change the way I think. (And if you’re wondering, yes, when I go back to Festival, I am going back down that slide!)

Bliss Finds and Facts

Festival Du Voyageur lasts about a week, about the third week of February every year (barring something like COVID-19). If you’ve never been, I highly suggest you give it a try. Everyone speaks French and English and you can play, eat, learn, and dance – all at the same time. And you’re NEVER too old to take part. Give it a try if you’ve never been or haven’t been in years. And “he-ho!”
If you’re like me and you want to read more about the history of the area, culture etc., you can read more about the voyageurs here. At least this will get you started. And what I didn’t know is that the voyageurs didn’t just travel in Canada, but across North America.
And in case you needed just a little more convincing about the importance of play in adulthood, check out the following site from Wanderlust for some new perspective and information.