Shuffling cowboy boots kicked dirt up into the air as people made their way to the shady stands, waiting for the show to begin.
Over 200 people attended the Parade of Breeds, co-hosted by the Boots and Saddles Club and Pre-Veterinary Club, at the Pierce Equestrian Center on Nov. 5.
The Equine/Horse Science Department Advisor, Patricia Warner, thought the event was successful and said she couldn’t believe how many people came out to support the event.
“I’m going to burst into tears,” Warner said. “It’s been fantastic.”
The show was held in the covered arena and began at 11:15 a.m. after an accident on the freeway delayed the start of the show by 15 minutes.
One by one, horses were led into the arena and Warner gave hints over the microphone about what the breed of each horse could be.
According to Warner, many people brought horses from the Lancaster area and someone brought a horse from as far as Hemet, California. She said there were at least 35 different breeds among the 40 horses in the parade.
Aside from being an event for community members, the show doubles as a test for one of Warner’s classes. Warner’s students sat in the stands, writing down the color and breed of each horse as they came out the first time around.
The horses were brought out again after an hour intermission and Warner announced the breeds.
The intermission included barrel racing, jumping and reining demonstrations in the middle arena.
Public Relations of the Pre-veterinary Club Ravi Ramakrishnan said the event proved to be a good opportunity for cooperation between this year’s co-hosts.
“I’d say it was a good collaboration between Boots and Saddles and Pre-Vet because they’re usually competing clubs, so it was nice to see them come together and work and raise money to ultimately help the clubs stay around,” Ramakrishnan said.
The Pre-Veterinary Club had a petting zoo at the event, where people could feed the donkeys and goats.
Pierce student Christina Troupe said that even though she’s scared of horses, she loved the event and plans to return next year.
“I love animals and when I saw there was a petting zoo, I was like, ‘I have to go,’” Troupe said. “We got to pet them and it was so cute. We were even able to feed the donkeys. I loved it.”
There was a kids’ activity station by the entrance of the event where children could color, pose for photos on top of a saddle, get their faces painted, and decorate horseshoes.
The Boots and Saddles Club sold food and drinks as a way of fundraising. The treasurer of the club, Makenna Kellogg, said the food sold well and that she was glad with how prepared the club was.
Kellogg said she thinks the Boots and Saddles Club can work again with the Pre-Veterinary Club for next year’s Parade of Breeds.
“I think it would just take a little more organization between the two,” Kellogg said.
