pic by Audrey Pavia
Milagro got dressed up for the Norco Horseweek Parade .
Every year in my Ithiel Town of Norco , Calif. , we celebrate Horseweek . This is a workweek of fun equine events , kicked off by a Saturday - morning time parade . Unlike the other parade hold in Norco throughout the yr , this one features only buck . Horses being mount , horse cavalry being led , horses pulling carts . It ’s all about horse cavalry .
What ’s great about this parade is that there are no motorized vehicle or marching bands , so it ’s a bunch less stressful for the horses . Years ago , I made this effect Milagro ’s first parade . He was fairly calm and seemed to enjoy walk down the main drag in townspeople , with little kids waving at him from the curb .
Last Saturday , we walked in this parade once again , only this time , we had a costume . We were part of Moonshadow Farms expose , a boarding static down the street from me that is own by my Friend Randy and Cathey . Because the melodic theme of the parade was “ Where City match Country , ” we decided to trim our horses up “ city , ” while we , the riders , enclothe “ rural area . ”
Lisa , my friend and trainer , created the horse ’ costume , which consisted of blue glitter - covered derbies for the geldings and pinkish glisten - covered derbies for the mares and cardboard bowtie traverse with little cold shoulder - out of cowboy boots , cacti and saddles .
On the morning of the parade , I brought Milagro down to Moonshadow , where all the horses were being adorned with their garb . He stood patiently as I fitted the shimmer derby to his head , cutting out the sides to make way for his ears . He did n’t even flinch when I attached the giant bowtie to his boob collar . One of the other horses want nothing to do with this material , so I was peculiarly proud of my boy for being so broad .
After I finished dressing him up , I stood back and admired my work . I could n’t aid but notice that he looked a bit broken . I am anthropomorphizing ? Perhaps . But he really did look embarrassed .
When the group of us walked down the parade route , the boys in their profane hat and the girls in their pink , Milagro was strangely relaxed . He ordinarily dumbfound a little jacked up at parade — sometimes very jacked up if there are marching bands and cars honking . But this time , he was so serene I started to wonder if he was feeling all right .
Of course , he was n’t sick , just serene . It did go on to me that he was too humilated by his costume to act up . After all , how nerveless would it expect if he was dancing and prancing around with that dumb lid on his head and his giant bow-tie flop around ? He probably just decide to blend into the background . If he did n’t call attention to himself , then perchance no one would see how sappy he depend .
OK , that ’s probably not what was going on either , but it for certain is fun to make believe .
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