I volunteered with the equine units for the 500 parade.
Experienced horse people are needed to help teams get ready
and walk the parade route with them, ready to help if a horse has problems.
You get to hold flags, tighten cinches, retrieve gloves and keep spectators out from under horse feet.
I really enjoy seeing these hardworking performing horses & their riders.
Each trailer arrives at the fenced parking lot assigned to the horse units.
Here the Culver Military students unload their black Friesian horses & walk them after the long trip.
Some horses get glittered up!
This university equestrain team hustled to get ready after arriving a little late.
Horses are saddled and uniforms put on & checked.
The mounted police are in the parade too.
The two horses & riders in the back are visiting Canadian policemen.
Finally we are off to the staging area, escorted by the mounted police.
The horse units are all lined up on a side street away from the floats & bands and
other scary things where we wait until our place in the parade comes up.
Meanwhile we can watch the parade go by.
The scary balloons are lined up across the street.
Some of the units waited more than an hour before stepping out on the parade route,
but these seasoned horses were patient and well behaved.
I escorted the Mid America Cowgirls in the parade.
About halfway through, we circle the Soldiers & Sailors Monument.
(By the way, some horses do not like those dreaded manhole covers!)
The weather was perfect and before we knew it,
we're at the end of the parade and headed back to the trailers.
The cowgirls posed for a picture for me.
It was a fun & rewarding day!
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