I LOVE A parade: The tramping of feet, I love every beat … mostly, I love seeing horses in parades! The sight always takes me back to fond memories of watching my Grandpa Harry ride his beautiful palomino, alongside 12-plus other palominos, ridden by his fellow members of the Long Beach (Calif.) Mounted Police in the Rose Parade in the 1960s.
I’m ecstatic to report Sequim’s 130th Irrigation Festival saw a record number of horsemen participating — 40 horses, ponies and minis in all, I’m told— representing individuals and members of Peninsula Junior Rodeo, Future Farmers of America, Patterned Speed Horse Association, Interstate Champions, Empowered Equestrians, Back Country Horsemen, Sequim High School equestrian team and Olympic Peninsula Riders Facebook group.
Of the more than 100 entries for this year’s Grand Parade, about one-third were equestrians.
WAHSET Finals
The six Sequim Equestrian Team members who traveled to Moses Lake for the Washington High School Equestrian Team state finals last weekend were Katelynn Sharpe, Asha Swanberg, Joanna Seelye, Kenzi Winters, Paisley Morris and Kaija Johnson. Congratulations on a job well done and for adding many more happy memories to your lifetime’s scrapbook!
Competition was stiff, with just placing in the top 10 in their events: Sharpe, seventh in Dressage and Swanberg, ninth in Steer Daubing, sixth in Individual Flags. Swanberg also placed 15th in Working Rancher.
Versatility Team — Morris, Sharpe, Swanberg, Seelye, tied for 21st.
Drill Team Freestyle Fours — Sharpe, Seelye, Johnson, Winters, 15th.
IHOR Team — Sharpe, Morris, Swanberg, Winters, 22nd.
Working pairs — Swanberg and Seelye, 11th; Morris and Winters tied for 23rd.
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Karen Griffiths’ column, Peninsula Horseplay, appears the second and fourth Saturday of each month.
If you have a horse event, clinic or seminar you would like listed, email Griffiths at kbg@olympus.net at least two weeks in advance. You can also call her at 360-460-6299.
Photo by Kendra Fors Peninsula Junior Rodeo’s parade participants await their turn in the equine staging area.
Photo by Katie Salmon-Newton Members of Sequim’s Equestrian Team and their support group at the Grant County Fairgrounds event in Moses Lake.