Shelby Zarobinksi – A notable Woman Taking the Road Less Traveled
Shelby Zarobinski, Clydesdale Handler Anheuser-Busch
One Team One Dream
Meet Shelby Zarobinski, Budweiser Clydesdale Team Handler. On the road 340 days of the year, working around 60 hours a week, and only one of two females currently traveling as a handler for Anheuser Busch, she is living her dream. I met Shelby during the Port Arthur Mardi Gras event when Larry Del Papa’s Budweiser Distributorship brought the Clydesdale Team in to highlight the parade. I was curious, what attracted her to do this kind of work? I interviewed her. Here is her story.
Clydesdales, better known as draft horses, are unique. They are recognized for being hardworking, strong, patient and possessing a docile temperament. Larger than life, their feet are marked with beautiful white ” feathering” (long white hair that covers the hooves). Anheuser-Busch recognized the uniqueness of these horses and uses them for promotions and commercials. Today, three “hitches” or teams of Budweiser Clydesdales travel around the United States. Eight horses are driven at any one time, but ten horses are on each team to provide alternates for the hitch when needed. Assorted Clydesdales are also used as animal actors in television commercials for Budweiser beer, particularly in Super Bowl ads.
I grew up in La Porte, Indiana and met my best friend in the 3rd grade. Her family raised draft horses. She showed them through Purdue University’s 4H program, the La Porte County Wagonmasters, one of the largest draft horse 4H programs in the country. I helped her show the horses and fell in love with them. It took some time, but I finally convinced my family I was serious about wanting a horse of my own. I started saving up my babysitting money determined to buy a Clydesdale.
As luck would have it, the Wagonmasters hold an essay contest every year and offer a draft horse colt. The essay requires contestants to answer questions about horse ownership, care and training. The essays are sent to Purdue who chooses the winner.
In 2006 I won the contest. With the money I had in savings plus the contribution from the contest, I was able to finally buy my first baby Clydesdale. I named her Destiny. Destiny’s mom died while foaling her so she was an orphan and, despite having a slight hernia she soon overcame, she was perfect. She was the first horse I ever trained by myself, and the time I spent training her paid off as we won many showmanship and riding awards.
My family eventually joined in the fun and bought another horse. Over the next few years we showed the horses at different state fairs in the Midwest and met many great draft horse folks. Years later, we bought a brood mare, and eventually in 2013 a stallion from Quebec, Canada to breed with the mare. Our stallion had previously won the top honor at the 2010 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair as Grand Champion Stallion.
Graduating from high school I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian, then leaned
towards nursing, but kept coming back to my love of working with horses. While getting my business degree, I lived with a couple in Manitoba, Canada who raised Clydesdales and during the summer I helped them show their horses. In 2014 I also worked with a 6-horse hitch out of Ontario. We traveled throughout the province showing, and made our way to various shows in the Midwest U.S. including the National Show in Indiana. I loved it.
During my travels I met handlers that worked with the various Budweiser Clydesdale teams and thought, “It would be a dream come true to work with this team.” The advice I was given was to get my CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) and look for openings on Buschjobs.com. While finishing my degree, I went to their website and was excited to see an opening advertised for a handler. I immediately applied.
I was eventually hired and sent to St Louis to work at Grant’s farm where the horses begin early stages of training. The farm typically houses between 30 and 40 horses ranging in age from babies to 3 and 4 year olds along with some of the retired horses. My job was to help care for the horses while working with the younger ones preparing them for the daily life being a Budweiser Clydesdale. I did that for 4 months and when a position on the West Coast Team came up I applied for and became a handler for the Fort Collins based team.
My typical day starts at 7 a.m. when we feed the horses and clean their stalls. Next we 
exercise the horses for an hour a day by hand walking them and if the facility has ample room, we’ll turn the horses out in pairs to enjoy some free time. We then groom the Clydesdales. Afterwards we polish and clean 8 sets of harnesses. If there is a show that day, we prep the horses by braiding their manes, tails and forelocks so they look their best when pulling the wagon.
After the week of showing, we move to a new city. Making the move requires breaking down the stalls (if we are set up in our portable stalls), loading the equipment into our semi truck, trailering the horses, and many other activities. On average we spend one week in each location, though that can vary. Our primary responsibility is to ensure the horses are comfortable and well taken care of throughout the travel experience. The team consists of 10 horses but we only hook 8 up to a wagon. Just like our handlers get a day off of work a week, we rotate the horses so they get a day off as well.
My favorite horse on the team is Lester. He’s very inquisitive and is always in a good mood. We work around the horses about 60 hours a week and sometimes they can get a little moody, but not Lester. He’s a real social bug and welcomes company anytime.
As a female in this predominantly male industry I have not faced challenges with my male coworkers. In the past, there have been other females traveling and driving the full 8-horse hitch and I’ve never heard anything about issues with male coworkers. We are team players and don’t hesitate to help one another. If I’m struggling to move bales of hay, someone always offers to help. Like our horses, we are a team – one team, one dream.
Recently I opened up Facebook and saw something that stunned me. Facebook “memory” pictures from prior years pop up on my account from time to time. The picture on my Facebook page was of me performing my duties as the 2011 National Clydesdale Queen for the Clydesdale Breeders of North America. I would go to different shows and hand out ribbons, awards, etc. In this particular picture, my current assistant supervisor Todd was on the same wagon with me as the winner of the 6-horse hitch class! I did not know then that several years later I would be working alongside him. Before I started working with Budweiser, I always noticed him in the show ring and aspired to be like him. Todd has taught me a lot through his calm demeanor, excellent horsemanship and driving skills.
Our job is very physical. During the parades, the audience sees only the end product –
the gorgeous looking horses proudly pulling the Budweiser wagon. What they don’t see are the long hours of driving while hauling the horses around, the set up and teardown of the stalls, the cleaning and prepping of the horses for shows; it’s a lot of work, but we love it. I am all for women being in this job but there are a few aspects of the job that, as a female, I can’t perform. The collaring of horses and loading of stalls are the most difficult aspects.
I have a CDL and drive the semi truck. When we arrive at our destination and I jump out of the rig, people turn and stare. They don’t expect a female to be driving the semi.
It’s tough being away from home 340 days of the year. When the logistics and our schedule work out, I try to fly home for the day to visit my family from time to time, but I do miss holidays, birthdays and special occasions. Luckily, my family and friends have always been supportive of my dream to work here and understand the demands of my career. We are told about the lifestyle before we are hired, so there are no surprises. Our team on the road becomes our second family. I’d say to any young girl aspiring towards this career, “Go for it. Don’t give up and let people tell you can’t drive a semi or you can’t be away from home…follow your dreams, no matter how big they are.”
My goal for the future is to become a hitch team driver, proudly sitting in the driver’s seat while marching the horses in the parades. To become a driver of the horses requires special training through our program in New Hampshire. Only one person a yearfrom our team gets selected to go to driver’s school and I intend to be chosen someday.
Among my favorite memories with the team was when we took the 8-horse hitch through Super Bowl City accompanied by 49 San Francisco motorcycle cops. Another very unique moment was taking the team on a barge for three hours to Catalina Island off the coast of California. Traveling in their trailers, the horses never knew they were on the water!
Being on the road as much as I am I look for fun in each city we visit. I am a risk taker
and have jumped out of an airplane, gone scuba diving, crashed in a hot air balloon (and obviously lived to tell the tale), and take advantage of any chance to go horseback riding in the mountains. I look for that “once in a lifetime” opportunity everywhere I go.
Wherever this career takes me, whether I end up being a hitch driver with any of our three traveling teams or training the young horses, I am happy to have found this exciting career. Never, when I was 10 years old admiring the Budweiser Clydesdale team in my home town, did I ever think 14 years later I would be working with them. It’s a dream come true.
I think Shelby is a great example of a young lady who is indeed following her dream, one that has led her to happiness and fulfillment in her job. I enjoyed visiting with her and telling her story. Join me for future blogs where I will be highlighting more stories like Shelby’s…
Inspiring Women Taking the Road Less Traveled
Making a Difference
Lorraine Grubbs is an author, speaker and team building expert who helps organizations create Happy and Engaged Workplaces.
To learn more about what she does visit www.lorrainegrubbs.com
