Evening star., 1942-07-27
Eastern Shore Resorts
Use Buggies Again
War Revives Popularity
Of Clipping Dobbins
And Horse Hotels
By Mdry-Cdrter Roberts.


of course. to the gas and tire short
age. 1t may be that we now are in what
one day will be called "the late Machine
Age" However that turns out. no one
can help seeing that on the shore at
least vehicular fashions are undergoing
a revolution
1t is the smart thing now in some
resort towns for ladies to do their morn
ing marketing via Dobbin The clop of
hooves in such villages minRles freely
with the chugging of eXhausts: and the
ordinary poignant parking problem is
made more tense by the need to find
posts to hitch to. 1t would not be truth
full to say that buggies compare as yet
with motors in numbers, but they have
made their appearance on the shore
scene and are increasing steadily. For
short jaunts for almost any purpose,
people tend to give them preference.
The result is that a whole new series
of enterprises is springing up. Fore
sighted business men see the opportu-
mites In Rehoboth Beach, favorite
vacation spot with many Washington
mans, there long has been riding stable,
an institution which prospered by serv-
ing the strange tribe of midsummer
equestrians-those people who find pleas
ure in galloping horses in a 95-degree
heat. Its proprietor, Harry Clendaniel,
now is buying buggies wherever he can
find them
Il can keep quite number busy rent
ing Them he said. "and those I don't
rent I can sell. I sold one last week for
as much as it would have cost Is years
ago There's a regular demand"
Mr.. Clendaniel explains that he scouts
around through the country and finds
many old buggies long disused. standing
in farm sheds. Those that he thinks can
be reconditioned he buys. doing the re-
conditioning himself 1t is a sad thing,
in his opinion, that many horse drawn
vehicles simply have been left to fall
apart, heartlessly exposed to the
weather. A lifelong follower of horses"
as he puts it, he finds the revival OF
interest in carriages refreshing to his
spirit. His present pride is buggy with
an umbrella top" 1t has fringe and,
as he pointed out. the fringe is all there,
not a frond missing. Smartly painted,
this buggy is nothing to sneeze at.
There are as yet, however, certain
drawbacks to the vehicular revolution.
For one thing, few people know the arts
of maneuvering horse in harness. Only
recently, one of Mr.. Clendaniels custo-
mers, who presumably would have
thought nothing of doing so miles on
wet highway, drove his rig into a post
and tore out the crossbar "Such acci-
dents" said Mr.. Clendaniel make you
realize that folks are more ignorant than
they suspect"
Another problem Is the scarcity OF
accessories for buggy-riding. An old
fashioned carriage lamp, long mounted
on a post to serve as light in private
driveway, now is being constantly
watched by it's anxious owner. He was
asked to sell it and refused. Such were
the opportunities Of the would-be pur-
chaser however, that he Is taking no
chances. Whips, laprobes and curtains
likewise may be expected to command
high prices before long. Horseshoes
nailed up over doors may be brought
open out endlessly
So far, most of the motive power for
the rejuvenated carriages comes from
hired horses, but few persons are buy
ing their own. William McQuay, genial
Rehoboth grocer known to many Wash
ingtonians. recently has purchased
horse, buggy and sleigh. He laid up his
Fo- ho nj ~
horse in complete seriousness. What
ever the weather" he says, I'm fixed"
His summer outfit is a neat one His
ld-top buggy is newly painted,
shiny black with bright red wheels. For
rain, 1t has front curtain with little
isinglass window. The winter rig Is even
gayer. 1t Is a cutter, complete with
jingle bells, a bright red, with lifelike
rattlesnake painted on the dash The
horse, portly chestnut, has been
christened Henderson, for obvious rea-
sons. Last week Mr.. McQuay drove
Henderson 20 miles to the county seat
and back again In single day and Is
proud Of his achievement.
AS yet he is not using the horse a great
for the present are mainly for pleasure.
But with the increasing scarcity of tires
the McQuay, livery equipment may be
| extended to include a delivery wagon
RehobothianS may get their groceries
next winter to burst of sleighbell
music. So, for that matter, may Ameri-
cans in many other parts Of the country.
The great problem Of the car-to- horse
revolution of course is where to garage
the quadruped You can keep motor in
| your basement or on a small lot behind
| your house; you cannot so sequester q
| horse. Hence, along with the boom in
bugges and equipment there may be a
| revival of the livery stable business, those
| horse hotels where the four-footed guest
is given the comfort and attention which
| he needs.
In one respect, at least, the Eastern
| Shore is ready to meet the situation. It
still has it's old smithies. Right on the
| great ocean highway such an establish
ment stands today, lacking only spread
ing chestnut tree to make it rhyme 1t
has kept going these past lean decades
by the mule trade, a come down cer-
tainly, from its original glory, but it
looks forward now to a revival of impor-
tance. If, for that matter, the stage
coach should revive, there would also be
a great resurrection of inns and half
way houses Who can tell? The past, it