For anyone hanging around on Pier 1 in Boothbay Harbor on Friday, July 31, there was a big surprise.

It weighed a ton. Rico the Clydesdale was brought to the harbor from Union Fairgrounds, where nine others were enjoying a day off.

The Clydesdales are in Maine for a couple weeks, and their trainers and handlers are taking them to show in different towns, including a stint at the Rockland Lobster Festival, to show them off to appreciative crowds.

Handler Larry Manypenny, who is employed by Anheuser Busch, said this particular group of magnificent beasts are from Merrimack, New Hampshire, one of five Clydesdale stables in the country.

“We travel the East Coast 10  months out of the year,” Manypenny said. “There is a training facility in Merrimack, too, so when the horses get to around three years old they go there to begin their training.”

Nationwide there are close to 250 Clydesdales with the Anheuser Busch Company.

Rico was on Pier 1 for two hours. Manypenny said that the horses can handle longer than that, but they don't like to push them to the limit. “We like to stop way short of what they can handle, to ensure that they're properly taken care of.”

Manypenny said he and his fellow handlers develop a special bond with the Clydesdales.

“Oh my gosh, you can't help but connect with each one of them,” he said. “We spend so much time with them and they have such good personalities, you can't help but love them.”