Parade Day

Today was my day off, but it was parade day for the Cracker Horses that I work with at another park. I was supposed to be riding in this parade, but my broken arm kept that from happening. Fortunately, they were able to find another rider to fill in for me and all four of the ponies got to go. I still went to the parade to see them in action and to lend a hand (just one though).
The parade was the Homecoming Parade at the University of Florida. The ponies were all decked out in their Gator gear, from head to tail. They had special saddle blankets that my park manager made, orange and blue bridles, orange and blue ribbons on their tails, and they even had nicely polished hoofs. It was suggested that airbrushed Gators on the hooves would be cool, but maybe a little over the top.

I was really impressed with the Cracker Ponies. There was occasional evidence of their silly skittishness, but they were really in their element in the parade. They dealt with kids on roller blades zipping between them, balloons, cameras, marching bands, police sirens, music, and people trying to pet them from every direction with ease. They were so tolerant of everything.

I took photos throughout the morning and was there to hold a horse when needed. I'm glad that I was still involved with the process so I know more for the next event that the horses will attend. I walked with them from the unloading area to the staging area and saw them off once they joined the main part of the parade. I think they did very well and they were definitely a big hit with the people watching the parade.