Day of the Horse
In 2002, the Legislature of the State of California designated the second Saturday in December to be the Day of the Horse in the State of California, and called “upon all citizens to be mindful of the welfare of the horse and its contribution to our economy, heritage, and history.” On November 18, 2004, National Day of the Horse passed on the Senate Floor in Washington D.C. by unanimous vote. Day of the Horse recognizes the horse as a living link to our history, and as "a vital part of the collective experience of the United States."
Anaheim Equestrian Center and Earth Connections held our first Day of the Horse celebration on December 14, 2002. We have been celebrating it on the second Saturday in December ever since. That ended in 2007 with what would have been our 6th annual celebration. Rain the day before, and the possibility of rain the day of, forced us to reschedule. The arenas were too wet and muddy to hold the demonstrations. We have rescheduled the event for March 15, 2008 and may continue to celebrate Day of the Horse in March in the future.
Day of the Horse is a fun-filled day for the entire family. We have art and craft booths for shopping, great food, and pony rides for the kids. There are demonstrations all day long showcasing the many talents of the horse including dressage, jumping, trail course and western pleasure. Special guests have included Medieval Times, Anaheim Police Mounted Enforcement Unit, New Buffalo Soldiers, Steve Holt, Franklin Levinson, Bernadette Hileman and Sue Johnston. Admission is free.
Each year, Earth Connections sponsors families from local homeless shelters to Day of the Horse. More than 40 children are treated to pony rides. During past events held in December, they got to visit with Santa and have their photo taken with him. Then they and their prents are guests at our great barbecue lunch.
“This was an opportunity for our kids to experience the wonder and uniqueness of this animal and to have a day filled with activities that removes them from the reality of life in a homeless shelter at the holidays. A day spent having just pure fun allows these families to renew their energy and broadens their life experiences.” -Colleen Smagala, Director, Anaheim Interfaith Shelter/Halcyon
Photos at right from top:
1) Trainer Wendy Fuire of Tempo Farms and her students perform a dressage routine
2) Trainer Denise Schreyer of D-Star Western Training and some of her students
3) The New Buffalo Soldiers perform a skit
4) Santa with some of our special invited guests
