By Carol Fisher-Linn
Have you ever been close to a real Budweiser Clydesdale? Don’t miss your chance this weekend in Ellicottville April 17-19 during Nashville Nights event.
With the anticipation and excitement of having Clydesdale horses in the Village of Ellicottville for wagon rides during the Nashville Nights weekend event, readers may be interested in learning a little about these regal, colossal animals. A visit to Wikipedia tells us that they are from Scotland in the early 1800’s, originally used for farming, hauling coal and heavy loads, which they still are to this day. Consider the famous Budweiser goliaths which have been around since after Prohibition in 1933. (13 dry years! But ahh, there were indeed “speakeasies” or “blind pigs” in the region. Who knows what a blind pig was?) In today’s world, it turns out that some people just love Clydesdales and have them for pleasure, for show (everyone adores their “feathered” legs), or to use them to pull carriages and for riding. Little Red Barn Clydesdale Farm owner, Jason Opferbeck claims he and his wife, Daleen, became Clydesdale owners because they were empty nesters in need of something to do. Why Clydesdales? Opferbeck replied, “Is there any other horse?” Dennis, age 12 is one of his favorite, a “best friend.” Yet, when he tried riding him, he bucked him repeatedly. Since Clydes are known for their mild manner, it turns out he was thrown for a reason. It was found that the horse had cancer in one leg.
There’s a personal story here that is somewhat inspiring. Please read on. The vet and ferrier did everything possible to literally remove the cancer from his leg to no avail. After doing everything possible, the team recommended to put him down. Opferbeck, loving this horse and not wanting to see it suffer agreed. “Come back in the morning and we’ll do it.” That very night, Opferbeck had a dream about placing infra-red lights near Dennis’s leg. In the morning, he called and suggested a delay, built a stall to accommodate infra-red lights, installed them and placed Dennis in his therapeutic stall 12 hours a day. Miraculously, Dennis healed in a few months and he will be one of the team pulling the wagon rides in Ellicottville for part of this weekend for Nashville Nights. The other member of the team for some of those days will be David, a retired Budweiser team horse.
With the miraculous come-back of Dennis who could have been put down, Opferbeck, in building a new barn and stalls is installing infra reds into every stall. Oh, yes, that number of stalls will be ten for his present nine and a new member coming in June. The Opferbecks also hope to breed their mares every other year so the barns will just keep getting larger. You see, it seems he and his wife have a quirky habit of not parting with any animals they bring to the farm. Exceptions may be the some of the beef cows and chickens which they also raise. But don’t count on it.
The dream is to make The Little Red Farm more accessible as a non-profit for special needs kids aged 14 to 18. Presently, they successfully do this on a small scale but the goal is to enlarge the program. The farm is still a work in progress but Jason and Daleen will be receiving many guests from far and wide (over the river and through the woods?) this coming Christmastime, 2026 for a Hallmark-style Christmas in the country, called Christmas with the Clydes, Faith, the miniature donkey, and maybe a few Scottish Highland Longhorns – as cute as they can be – just for added joy. Yes, the real deal: Of course, the central focus – a giant tree and Living Nativity, Santa, elves, Christmas trees to buy, wreaths, ornaments, candies, gifts, cotton candy and candy canes, popcorn, hot chocolate, cider, the works. All they’ll be missing will be an organ grinder and chestnut vendor! Or perhaps not! Of course, they’ll have the horse drawn wagon rides. Stay tuned for more information on this event closer to the time. You won’t want to miss this.
Meanwhile, bring friends and family into town this weekend and meet these magnificent Clydesdales and their owners. Unless things change, David and Dennis will be stationed in front of Katy’s Friday, April 17 from 5-7pm, Saturday all day 12-8pm, and Sunday from 12-5pm.