Hanaeleh participated in the Swallow’s Day Parade Saturday morning. This marks the fifth year that Hanaeleh has been in the parade, and the horses and volunteers were awesome! Thank you so much to all of those volunteers who came out and helped to carry the banner and wave to the adoring public!
The Swallow’s Day Parade marks the return of the swallows to San Juan Capistrano (even though they don’t really “return” there anymore- but hey, a tradition is a tradition).
We had a special horse reporter there to help give a play-by-play. His comments and pictures are below:
Stupid Humans Make Lots of Noise and Wave
by Tamahome
I was woken up this morning at around 6am by the girl-person. I thought that she was there to feed me, because that is her job. Instead, she put these weird wraps on my legs and told me to get into a white box. There was food in the box, so I decided to get in. They put Cricket in next to me, but I didn’t share my food because it was mine.
6am trailer loading.
Why am I out of my stall before breakfast? Humans are so strange.
Cricket getting ready to go to the parade. She had silly wraps on all four of her legs.
The box was fine until it started moving, and even then it was OK, but it stopped and we got out somewhere else that was not home. There was food there, however, so that was still acceptable.
The humans set up camp beside the trailer.
Trailers are cool as long as they come with food.
Apparently other humans had the same strange idea. None of the other horses had any idea why we were here, either.
Eventually the humans and the girl-person started grooming Cricket and I. That was OK until the girl person painted my feet with glitter and put ribbons in my hair. I’m not sure why I was not consulted on the wardrobe, as I believe I am quite fashionable and have an excellent sense of style. Glitter and ribbons are not part of my usual sense of style. The humans did not consult me on the costume choice for the day, however.
Oh, the humanity!
Glitter on the hooves? Seriously?
Eventually more humans showed up and we moved to another place that had grass and there were other horses. That was cool, because there was grass to eat. Some of the other horses were dressed up even more than I, so I guess I got off lucky.
Cricket and Kaitlin.
Leaving the place with grass.
The girl-human and I at the place with grass.
Volunteer humans standing around looking pretty instead of doing something useful like giving me food.
All of the Hanaeleh peoples.
For some random reason we left the place with grass, and then went on the street, where we stood some more. The humans got very excited about this. Humans are weird.
Standing on the street. Why did we leave the place with grass? There is no grass here.
Cricket kept licking me so I had to tell her to quit it.
Then we walked more on the street, and that was fine until the carriage of doom in front of us began playing loud music. That was still fine until the band of death began playing behind us. I did not like the band of death and told the girl-person. She said she didn’t like the band of death, either, but that she and the other volunteers would protect me from them.
We start out to escape the band of death.
Volunteers with the banner!
The humans are waving.
The volunteers waving. The humans really like to wave.
The girl-person waving. Did I mention they really like to wave?
The volunteers helped to distract the band of death.
Escaping the band of death.
Eventually we escaped the band of death, and walked back to the trailer where there was food. I enjoyed that part. I also enjoyed the part when the girl-person took the ribbons out of my hair. I still have glitter on my hooves, but don’t tell the guys at the barn- my plan is to get my hooves all muddy so no one can see them.
Back at the trailer with the food.
We got back into the white box and then we took Cricket home, and then they took me home. Sapphire was, of course, absolutely thrilled to see me, and I know she missed me terribly. I confess I do not understand the need of humans to make so much noise and wave at each other; I think they should take a lesson from horses and just give a neighborly neigh. Still, it wasn’t too terrible, mostly because there was plenty of food.
Did I mention I got grain when I got back? Because I did. It was good. I like grain.