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On
May 31, 2007, the Maine Gait Paso Fino Club participated in its first
Unity Memorial Day Parade in Unity, Maine. Unity is a small town of
1,820 residents located in the central coastal area of Maine. The
Unity Memorial Day Parade has been a yearly event since 1947. The
parade is sponsored by the American Legion Benjamin Berry Post #50.
The Maine Gait Paso Fino Club was formed in 1995 and currently
consists of 12 members. Club members participate in parades,
demonstrations, and all-breed shows for fun, and to promote the
breed. They have recently designed a brochure describing the Paso
Fino breed and have distributed it throughout Maine tack and feed
shops. MGPFC members also enjoy their pasos on trail rides, playing
horse soccer, and occasionally host clinics with Paso Fino trainers to
provide members with educational and training assistance.
 Three
MGPF Club members participated in the Unity Memorial Day Parade.
Carley Edgar riding Alejandro del Nordeste, Laura Stewart riding
Mirage de la Pluma, and Jennifer Whitney riding El Fuerte leAl. Their
Pasos were decked out, sprinkled with glitter and adorned with red
ribbons and silk flowers in their manes and tails.
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The
horses were a little nervous at the beginning of the parade, but
quickly settled in to the flying American flags, marching band,
4-wheelers, race cars, vintage cars, and fire trucks. Many children
were excited to see the horses. One little girl exclaimed, “Mommy
look at the pretty horses dancing!”
The parade marched to the Unity Pond Cemetery where the six-gun salute
was performed. During the ceremonies many bystanders came over to pet
the horses. They commented how beautiful they were, how well they
behaved in the parade, and how calm they were with the guns firing.
One lady said she thought it was time for her to get back into
horses. She was invited for a test ride at a later date!
The
Maine Gait Paso Fino Club has plans for the 4th of July
Parade in Brooks, Maine with 5 members planning to participate. After
that, they have hopes to do larger parades throughout the state.
Every exposure, no matter how little, helps the Paso Fino become known
in the public eye!
Carley Edgar & Alejandro del Nordeste,
Jennifer Whitney & El Fuerte le Al, Laura Stewart & Mirage de la Pluma |
