Bayard is a magic reddish-brown horse with black mane, tail, ear edges and lower legs. In the legend, derived from the chansons de geste, Bayard was able to adjust his size to his riders.
The horse was capable of carrying Rinaldo and his three brothers (the Aymon brothers) all at the same time. Charlemagne wanted to punish the horse for its exploits and had a large stone tied to its neck before it was pushed into the river. That was beyond the power and strength of this amazing horse! It smashed the stone with its hooves to escape and live forever more in the woods.
Every decade, the story of the magic heroic horse Bayard is being remembered in Dendermonde, where the statue of Bayard is legendary. Despite the bad weather, we are going to watch the parade today. It is a unique opportunity to relive the story and go back in time. Dendermonde is going crazy. The residents are very fanatic when it comes to Bayard. Flags are hung from windows, decals are being made to let the world know how proud they are of their legendary horse. A friend of ours, who's originally from Dendermonde but lives in the US, has come to Belgium with his family to attend the parade. One of his sons even has Bayard for his middle name!
It's going to be an exciting day, despite the rain. I'd better get ready, so we'll be able to find a place to park the car and enter the city. I'll keep some lumps of sugar in my pocket for the horse, just in case..
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