Allison M. Perrine
ASBURY PARK – Eight shiny dark coats, 32 clattering hooves, 2,000 pounds. Budweiser’s famous Clydesdale horses came back to the Jersey Shore – back in Asbury Park for the first time in 15 years.
Thursday afternoon, July 7 marked the day the infamous Clydesdales came back to Asbury Park since their last march 15 years ago. The massive yet beautiful horses pulled a red vintage carriage and marched from Ocean Avenue to Cookman Avenue to Main Street.
Unfortunately, inclement weather changed the plans for everyone involved on July 7. “We got as far as the Empress when the driving rain storm began,” said Jackie Pappas, executive director of Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce. To keep the horses, workers and spectators safe from the storm, Pappas said the horses were redirected back to their trailers, which were at the end of the route on Mattison Avenue.
The infamous horses were still able to start the route and hordes of spectators were able to see what they came for. “We had thousands of fans from McLoone’s to the Stone Pony that got a chance to see them and take photos,” Pappas said.
“They’re more beautiful in real life than they are on TV,” said Julie Cadmus, 41, of Lakehurst. Julie, alongside her daughter, Elizabeth, 11, and husband, Matthew, 40, came to Asbury just to see the beautiful creatures trot along the streets.
“I liked seeing the carriage and them pulling it,” said Elizabeth, who has been riding horses for seven years.
“I thought it would be interesting to see horses that are that large,” said Jessica Porter, 20, of Middletown. Porter has ridden horses four or five times in her life and would normally not make the trip to see “average horses – especially in this weather,” Porter joked.
This was the first march the Clydesdales made this past week, followed by trips to Belmar, Monmouth Park Racetrack and Seaside Heights.
