Seventh Street Horses

Horse shares sidewalk

Horse hair braiding

Crossing the road slowly

Temporary stables and handlers

Walking up 7th Street NW towards H Street recently I found myself among the horses of the annual Washington International Horse Show.  Apparently this is some event held at the Verizon Center each year and something I have never attended and really don't know much about although I did go to the website to find out  a little more. As close as I got to the horses was near the makeshift stables put up in the street, although one horse came ambling up towards me on the sidewalk and passed me by within a few inches.  They were all very large and athletic looking and quite handsome so I knew they had to be show horses.  They were being very well-cared for by their walkers, washers, wipers and other assorted human entourage members as you could see these animals were treated well.  All of the horses seemed quite nonchalant and not in the least bothered by the fact that they were on a busy street downtown, with cars and people buzzing by all the time. I have very little contact with the horse world so this was just a tiny glimpse into what must be a fascinating subculture. Surely, these creatures are among the greatest in the world!

Coming out of the center