Have you ever seen the horse-drawn streetcars at Disneyland, well you might notice a beautiful new grey as Disneyland has a new horse working on Main Street, U.S.A! His name is Bert and he is the latest cast member in Anaheim with a very important job transporting guests up and down that signature street!
Questions for Bert
The Orange County Register newspaper had some questions for Bert, the new horse and Disney kindly answered them, check them out below!
Q. What breed of horse is Bert?
A. Bert is a Percheron Draft Horse. This breed originated in France, specifically the Perche Province which is where the breed gets its name. We have 8 Percherons here at Disneyland Resort and 2 half Percheron horses.
Q. How much does he weigh?
A. Bert weighs approximately 1,800 pounds.
Q. How old is he?
A. He is 6 years old.
Q. Was he named Bert after the character in Mary Poppins?
A. He came named Bert and it was just a sweet fit for Main Street, U.S.A.!
Q. Where did he come from?
A. Bert came from a place called Bent, Montana, a small town close to Great Falls, where he was purchased from a family-owned and operated farm. He arrived alongside his teammate Bill who will also be making his way out to Main Street, U.S.A. later this year.
Q. Did he replace a retired horse?
A. Bert did take a position previously held by a Belgian Draft horse named Holly. She worked with us for nearly 15 years and now has a wonderful home with one of our Cast Members.
Q. What are his likes/dislikes?
A. Bert likes just about everyone and everything. He is very personable and curious, his most favourite thing is attention in the form of scratches and petting. He also enjoys playing with a large ball when in the pasture.
Q. Any other fun facts about Bert that you can share?
A. He is surprisingly good at blowing raspberries and does this anytime he wants attention or gets bored.
Q. How many horses does Disneyland own?
A. We maintain 18. We currently have 16 as two have retired this year, and we will be adding to our herd later this summer or fall.
Q. How many work at one time?
A. We operate two at a time for 2-3 hours a piece, generally four horses a day.
Q. Can you tell us a little bit about how you train a new horse for the route up and down Main Street?
A. We have a very involved training program that ensures that our horses are comfortable and confident when it is time to do their job on Main Street, U.S.A. They start their training at our ranch in Norco, and then they graduate to training at Disneyland to experience the crowds and guests. We have several blog posts on DisneyParksBlog.com about how the horses are trained, which is a pretty involved but exciting process.
What do you think about Disneyland’s new horse Bert?
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