Remi's First Parade

It was a very cold morning for the parade. Remi was lying down in his stall enjoying a snooze when he was awakened by trainer mom's voice and the lead rope. Time to go Remipup, it's your big day.

He didn't know what the heck was going on. "Hay it's dark outside and I'm nice and cozy" We have to go big boy, time to load up and head to downtown Dallas. "Oh alright, is there hay in the trailer?" Isn't there always, ya big stomach on stilts? :)

Downtown we went to face the harsh wind and bitter cold and get the big boy dressed for his very first parade. It's been too cold to give him another bath, so we spent lots of time brushing the mud balls out of his mane, tail and feathers. Thank goodness he likes the attention because it makes it so much easier to brush him when he's standing still.

His harness was all polished and spiffy and he is always a handsome boy when he's dressed up in his finest. He drew lots of attention as we moved down the street to take our place in the line up. While we waited for our passengers, many kids and grownups came to pet him and have their picture taken with him. He was such a good boy and remained calm even though there were hundreds of people all within close range and lots of loud noises that could have startled him.

But nothing bothered him. Not the big inflated balloons, not the people coming up close to him, or the photographer's coming within inches of his face. He behaved exactly like he did when we measured him. Calm and sedate, but ever on the lookout for a carrot or a peppermint.

The kids from Children's Medical Center and his famous star Selena Gomez arrived and loaded on the wagon. After a delay, we were well on our way to wave at the crowd and show him off. Of course, having a big celebrity on board did take some of the attention away from him, but we all know who his fans are!

We were a little disappointed that the announcers didn't mention his name once during the entire parade, so there were many people who didn't realize that he is the World's Tallest Living Horse. Needless to say, we weren't very happy about that. But, a very special reporter from the Dallas Morning News, who has been covering Remington since before he was measured was there at the parade with her two children and made sure he got mentioned in the paper. We just love her :)

We only appeared on TV for a brief second, but you can see him at least. For those of you who weren't able to watch, many other stations throughout the U.S. will be showing it throughout the month. Here's a link to the stations and their broadcast times in case you're in an area to watch.
http://www.childrens.com/Parade/documents/broadcast-stations.pdf

We are so very proud of Remington. He pulled the wagon through the parade like he's done it a million times. He is such a good boy and I couldn't give him enough hugs and kisses once we were back at the trailer.

In the photo, you'll see mounted police riding along side the wagon. They were there to protect Selena, but we all joked that they were there to protect and escort Remi through the parade. We had a great time talking about horses with them and they couldn't get over the size of my special boy.

So, the parade is behind us, Remi is still the best boy in the whole world and thousands of people did get an in person glimpse of my magnificent gentle giant. Remi's appearance was donated for the benefit of the children at Children's Medical Center in Dallas. Isn't he sweet?

What a day, what a thrill and what an experience.

Stay tuned, stay happy and stay with us!