Rose Parade 2022: Hoofing it through history

2 years ago 314

The Victorian Roses Ladies Riding Society recalls the Victorian era, specifically the 1880s. All of the much than 2 twelve members of the radical deterioration period-accurate costumes during their appearances. Jeff Antenore, SCNG Contributing Photographer
Activated successful 1972 and based astatine Fort Hood, Texas, the 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment is 1 of 7 mounted cavalry units connected progressive work successful the U.S. Army. Ed Crisostomo, SCNG Contributing Photographer
Larry Thornton, 73, August “AJ” Simien, Jr., 74, and Todd LaVergne, 47, from left, are members of The New Buffalo Soldiers, a portion that recalls the past of the African American cavalry soldiers successful the West during the 1860s and 1870s. Leonard Ortiz, SCNG Photographer

By Jan Breslauer

As a child, I looked guardant to the Rose Parade due to the fact that I wanted to spot the beautiful, majestic and wondrous horses. Still successful my pajamas, with my farsighted eyes staring astatine the tv done bluish integrative cat-eyed glasses, I’d beryllium mesmerized, waiting for the equestrian groups to appear.

Now, arsenic a grown pistillate and lawyer (with amended glasses), I people look guardant to the Rose Parade for somewhat antithetic reasons. Because … well, who are we kidding? Because I privation to spot the beautiful, majestic and wondrous horses.

Yes, I person horses of my ain — a Percheron named Amore, and a Belgian Draft named Emma Golda. They excessively are beautiful, majestic and wondrous. Yet the equestrian units successful the Rose Parade connection a transcendent view. Beyond the enchanting quality of immoderate idiosyncratic equine oregon horses, they bring to beingness the myriad ways successful which these magnificent animals person interacted with humans, crossed wide antithetic times, cultures and histories.

It was maestro equestrian Bobby Kerr — who isn’t successful the Rose Parade this twelvemonth but performs astir the region — who archetypal made maine deliberation astir the indebtedness this federation owes to horses. Kerr’s virtuoso performances with mustangs astatine liberty spell beyond what is imaginable successful a parade, and yet stock a intent with the Rose Parade’s equine participants.

It’s astir making past disposable and visceral. Kerr is simply a tall, lanky cowboy successful an outsized 10-gallon hat, and helium spins this ode arsenic mustangs tally escaped astir him:

“Imagine, this equine … a chaotic mustang, an American icon, a leader you mightiness say. Indians hunted, moved campy and fought wars connected these chaotic horses. Settlers and cowboys tamed the West with mustangs. The Pony Express delivered the U.S. message connected these horses. Fields were plowed and crops were harvested with these horses. The U.S. Cavalry adjacent rode immoderate of these horses. Thousands of cattle were gathered and driven utilizing these horses. The American Mustang was instrumental successful the maturation of this large state ….”

Just arsenic Kerr’s performances seizure that ineluctable transportation betwixt horses, past and culture, truthful excessively does the Rose Parade. Indeed, horses person ever been an indispensable portion of this New Year’s Day event.

The Rose Parade was archetypal staged successful 1890 by Pasadena’s ain Valley Hunt Club, which rides the 5.5-mile way to this day.

This year’s parade besides includes longtime stalwarts specified arsenic the Budweiser Clydesdales, which archetypal appeared successful 1953, and those who are newer to the event, specified arsenic the locally based Blue Shadows Mounted Drill team, making its 3rd appearance. Other entrants see the Hawaii Pa’u Riders of Waimanalo, Hawaii, the Victorian Roses Ladies Riding Society of Alpine, Los Hermanos Bañuelos from adjacent Altadena and the Merced County Sheriff Posse.

Days earlier the parade, these equestrian groups besides look astatine the amusement and nationalist accumulation known arsenic Equestfest, connected Dec. 29, astatine the Los Angeles Equestrian Center.

The equestrian units successful the Rose Parade correspond lone a glimpse of a legion of stories and cardinal roles successful which horses person played — and proceed to play. The groups are diverse, breathtaking and prideful successful their pageantry. Importantly, the equestrians and their mounts connection a mode to show, alternatively than tell, civilization and history.

No 1 knows this amended than The New Buffalo Soldiers, who’ve been successful the parade for 27 years. Their ngo is to “teach and amended astir the achromatic subject experience,” according to President August “AJ” Simien, a retired L.A. City occurrence skipper whose kids and grandkids besides enactment successful this humanities mentation group.

Organized successful 1992, The New Buffalo Soldiers represents the 10th Regiment, Company H, of the U.S. Cavalry. It is comprised of unpaid historians, galore of whom hold, oregon person held, archetypal responder time jobs — mundane heroes.

“All are dedicated to interpreting the beingness and times of those erstwhile slaves and freedmen — soldiers who, during their ain era, received small oregon nary designation for their work to their country,” according to the group’s statement.

They’ve appeared crossed the U.S., and astatine ceremonial events, including the opening of the 2002 Winter Olympics successful Salt Lake City and a statesmanlike interment astatine the Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.

A nonprofit, they’ve besides presented acquisition programs astatine The Huntington Library, L.A. Central Library and a wide scope of schools.

“We are historically correct, spanning the full play betwixt the Civil War and 1902,” Simien explained. “We person precise precocious standards to thatch history. Every portion of tack, each uniform, is historically close and accurate. We instrumentality pridefulness successful the information that an untold communicative is being told, by us, to the full world. And erstwhile we appear, it’s a moving infinitesimal for america also, to spot the joyousness successful the eyes of children and others, erstwhile they see, for the archetypal time, what it was similar backmost successful the 1800s.”

Indeed, Simien is not the lone equestrian radical person to constituent to the ways successful which horses tin instruct. Allyson Wreede, a nurse, joined the Blue Shadows Mounted Drill Team connected her ninth day and has been with them for astir 30 years. Now, she’s the commandant of the parade team.

“The lessons I learned from Blue Shadows made maine the idiosyncratic I americium today,” she says. “Even today, I presumption my horses arsenic my top teachers.”

Started successful the San Fernando Valley successful 1957, Blue Shadows mentors young people, 8 to 16 years old, successful horsemanship and leadership.

“Horses thatch america responsibility, communication, patience, persistence, beardown enactment ethic, pride, and however to neglect and commencement over,” Wreede said. “The equine is forgiving and allows america that 2nd accidental — a beingness acquisition that not everyone is fortunate capable to learn. The equine teaches us, adjacent successful failure, we tin commencement again.”

At this moment, that whitethorn beryllium a invaluable connection for some assemblage and country.

“What’s truthful important astir the 2022 Rose Parade, amid each the conversations astir taste difference, is that the Rose Parade is truthful inclusive,” Simien said. “You tin work astir history, but to spot it successful existent beingness is thing different. The pleasance and joyousness that it gives maine comes from knowing that the much we cognize astir our past, the brighter our aboriginal tin be.

“We request unity, and we request to restart,” adds Simien, who mislaid a sister successful the pandemic. “Our engagement with the Rose Parade is simply a enactment of caller air. We are honored to beryllium successful it.”

As maestro equestrian Bobby Kerr reminds us, the Mustangs inactive tally escaped successful the West — an enduring awesome of the indebtedness we beryllium to the magnificent equines successful our world. I inactive marvel astatine these gentle, soulful creatures, and the myriad ways successful which they person served successful truthful galore antithetic cultures. With that successful mind, I’ll relish different year, different Rose Parade.