Tuesday, February 16, 2010

A Post from the Parade Grounds

In case you are unaware, tomorrow is Ash Wednesday (the kickoff of the Catholic Lenten season), which makes today a very important holiday in certain parts of the world: Carnival. Better known as "Mardi Gras"*, Carnival is the one time of year when I truly feel bad for the horses. Parade horses are not happy by nature. And who can blame them? With The Marching 100 blaring their instruments, flashing lights, screaming masses of people, and packs of beads flying through the air, parade horses have a lot to deal with. No doubt, our prancing steeds will take a huge sigh of relief tonight, when they can go back to their mundane lives of munching hay and riding lessons.

And what is a better topic for this very special day than the historic, ever-famous Horse Guards Parade?


The Horse Guards Parade is an old parade ground in central London that dates back to the 16th century, where it was used as a tiltyard. The grounds have been used parades and other ceremonies for about five centuries now. Horseguards has truly seen the good, the bad, and the ugly, as far as events go: it has been the site of royal birthday celebrations, as well as a parking lot for civil servants. It is also the official residence of the Prime Minister.

The Horse Guards Parade was the site of the first ever London Polo Championships in 2009. It is also set to host the beach volleyball competitions in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

The typical Horse Guards "parade" can be witnessed every hour, as the changing of the guards occurs. While there may be no floats or Mardi Gras beads at this parade, it is just as culturally rich for Londoners as Carnival is for New Orleanians. And much more pleasant for the horses.


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*Cultural Note: There is never an article, such as the or and, in front of Mardi Gras. And the s is never pronounced.
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4 comments:

  1. JeanFebruary 16, 2010 at 6:19 PM

    Church service for Ash Wednesday tomorrow evening and it's not one of my favorites. Pretty somber affair.

    Peter DeCosemo has written a really fun read novel called, "Led By the Grey" that's centered around the London horses and the parade grounds. It's a great read for anyone who loves horses.

    Every once in a while you do find a "parade" horse that thinks the whole thing is a grand outing. But they all certainly do need to have incredible temperaments to put up with all the mayhem.

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  2. AbigailFebruary 16, 2010 at 7:12 PM

    I just looked up "Led by the Grey" on Amazon, and it's getting rave reviews. I'll have to look for it if I manage to get to Barnes and Noble tomorrow.

    Our parade horses are mostly the huge draft police horses (to whom we are nothing more than annoying mice scurrying under their feet) and horses from the local saddle seat barn, who are used to the glitz and glam of parades but (in my experience) generally prefer horse shows, where everything is more about THEM.

    I always feel bad for the poor horses who clearly were dragged out of their stalls, as evidenced by the wide eyes and shuffling feet, as well as for the horses that are just plain bored.

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  3. JeanFebruary 17, 2010 at 3:28 PM

    "Led by the Gray" may have to be special ordered. I'm not sure it's in the bookstores. If you do a search for it on the Internet, you can get to the website.

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  4. AbigailFebruary 17, 2010 at 4:08 PM

    Yeah, I was worried about that. I didn't get to the bookstore to check, though. (I ended up sleeping in until about two o'clock, went to eat lunch, and then spent the rest of the afternoon at the barn. There goes my day!)

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