|
|
The Eighth
Annual Day of the Horse It was a fun-filled day for the whole family. We want to thank our special guests Steve Holt and Bernadette Hileman, the demo volunteers, our vendors, everyone who attended, everyone who donated items for our raffle, and the wonderful volunteers who did all the behind the scenes work. Thank you, thank you to everyone who participated. Plan to join us again next year for our 9th Annual Day of the Horse.
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 had to reschedule the event and held it on March 15, 2008. The 7th annual Day of the Horse was
held on Saturday, December 13, 2008. Again the weather was a concern. As a result, in 2009 we will begin celebrating it in
October. 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. In previous years, Earth Connections sponsored families from local
homeless shelters to Day of the Horse. More than 40 children were treated to a visit with Santa and had their photo
taken with him. Then they and their prents were guests at our great barbecue lunch. Free pony rides were a big hit
with all. This year, funds raised during Day of the Horse will sponsor these families to their own special day with Santa
in December. “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
from previous years at right from top: 1) Trainer Wendy Fuire of Tempo Farms and her students perform a dressage
routine 2) Western pleasure demonstration 3) The New Buffalo Soldiers perform a skit 4) Santa
with some of our special invited guests |
|
|
|