Today, I’m sharing one of my favorite travel destinations, Ogden, Utah. It is one of my all time favorite places to visit. They host Pioneer Days Parade of Horses, and it doesn’t disappoint. The artist who paints these horses are amazing. Ogden, UT is about 40 – 45 minutes from Salt Lake City. So, if you’re in the area check it out.
So, I discovered the horses when I was on business trip in Ogden, UT. I decided to take a walk to relieve some stress after a business meeting. Amazingly, the streets came alive. As a result, Ogden has become one of my favorite travel destinations. The mountains are beautiful, the food is delicious, the people are warm and the Marriott has yummy beds. I’ll make the trip across country for those perks any day.
I’m going to share a few of my pictures of a some art that I discovered on walk along the streets of Ogden. It’s called a parade of horses. No, it’s not your usual parade through main street. This parade can be found on the sidewalks around town.
First, when I walked into the Marriott Hotel lobby, my usual spot to crash when I’m visiting, I spotted a replica of a horse with a beautiful painting on its body. I snapped a picture for my Wordless Wednesday blog post. However, I thought nothing else of it after taking the picture. So, I headed to my room to prepare for the next day. Ogden is about a 5 hour flight from Washington Dulles. As a result, I’m usually suffering from jet lag. The time difference doesn’t help either.
Next, this horse is called Cash Back. The artist was a 17 year old student. He was the youngest artist to participate in the Ogden Pioneer Day Parade of Horses.
I saw everything from a 1966 yellow mustang to one covered in candy bars. The horses go on display around the 4th of July, and usually remain on display until October 1. There are approximately 75 horses on display during the Ogden Pioneer Days celebration. If the budget is tight, there are only 55. Artists are from across the country, and each artist has a sponsor. It takes as much work to display the horses as it does to paint them. The horses requires 20 people to secure them to a concrete base and set them in their location.
Hershey is the name of this horse. A local high school artist produced this beauty. He plans to enroll in Weber State University.
I couldn’t get enough of the horses. So, I walked for blocks admiring them. I wondered what inspired each of the artists. Each horse has the artist’s name and the sponsor listed beneath it. I wondered what I would have painted on my horse if I had the ability to paint. Possibly a ballerina, my backyard birds or the beautiful Ogden mountains that stood so majestically in the background of the displays.
Appropriately, wanted is the name of this horse. A 15 year cancer survivor is the artist. He was a high school junior.
A trained filled with children rolled by, and I thought maybe I would have painted a Choo Choo full of children. Or, one of the historical buildings that lined the streets. Furthermore, I admired the colors. They were so warm and bright and every hue imaginable could be found on the horses. You could hear the children’s excitement when they saw the horses. So, I giggled and giggled as I watched them run toward the horses. Most importantly, I hated being a grown up at times. I wanted to let my inner child out too.
Finally, it was a fascinating stroll. But, with a heavy heart I bid Ogden farewell. Sadly, I’ll be heading back east. However, it’s surprises like this that keep me coming back. And, come back I will.
That is amazing. 55 of them, that is still astonishing! What a pleasant surprise and I bet a wonderful stroll around to take in some beautiful art, even more so with your love of horses.
Thank you so much for stopping by today. You are right, my daughter does have a love for horses. Her grandmother is crazy about them, so I know where she gets it from!
Cool…we had a similar thing in Dallas they did with pegasus statues.
Oh WOW Those are awesome! Great detail and it's like they tell a story!!
dropcqueen@yahoo.com
They are beautiful! Interesting to read that so many towns have done similar displays. Here in Los Angeles, we had angels a few years ago.
Thanks for sharing them! We have something like this in a city near us…they have penguins. It's just neat though because they are so surprising. Not one is alike. I love that last one with Washington.
so so cool! I'm only about an hour and a half from ogden and I've never heard of this.
Oh wow, those are amazing!
Those are beautiful. I can just imagine the kids walking past them and how excited they had to be. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful town.
Wow those are cool! They had bulldogs in a town near me a couple of years ago, and airplanes in the town I used to live in. I love to see what the artists come up with.