Are there still horses at the Kauai Marriott?
 

I worked at this hotel when it was being built (back in the day), then it was the Westin. The idea was you could only get around the property by horse and carriage, are they still around? It was a huge undertaking and it was neat to be there at the beginning of it all. Just curious.

The horses you're asking about haven't been there in years. I believe that most of the horses were Percherons or Clydesdales or some sort of draft animal. At one time they owned the largest horse in the world...according to the concierge at the time, a 5 foot tall human could stand under the belly of the horse without touching it.

Unfortunately, draft horses do NOT do well in warmer weather. (Hence the problem with the knights going off to the crusades all those many years ago. The horses died from the heat and the stress of carrying all that weight.) Anyway, their prized horse spent most of his time in his air conditioned stall with his friends, because they were too expensive an expenditure to have die in the heat!
((S))((*))

Actually, horses of all sizes can be found here on Kaua`i -- clydesdales pull the carriages daily at Kilohana. Check the nearby field there -- horses, Shetland ponies, donkeys & burros...oh my! 8-)

The horses at the Marriott (and all the other critters that populated the place) were moved to shelter when Hurricane Iniki slammed into Kaua`i (1991). Some of the birds escaped and are rumored to be living the idyllic life in island treetops. One peacock/peahen couple can be seen almost daily, wandering through the industrial park which abuts the hotel -- pretty funny stuff!

Mahalo for the info, AuntieMaria - A question though: Are there any of those horses left at the Kauai Marriott? I believed they were all gone.
((S))((*))

No more of the "accessories" which were at the hotel before Hurricane Iniki. Boats, critters, carriages...all gone.