Everyone knows how majestic and magical are the horses that march diligently along the parade route for the Tournament of Roses main event.
But these same animals display a remarkable range of talents, coupled with their experienced riders, and these were showcased Sunday afternoon, Dec. 29, at the 34th-annual Equestfest.
More than 200 horses from more than a dozen different units showed their stuff at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank.
“This is a good way for us to celebrate our equestrian units that will be riding in our Rose Parade,” explained Amy Garrity, director and chair of the event, who has been with the parade for 28 years.
“They’ve worked so hard,” she said, as well as having made the financial commitment to participate. “So it’s a way to celebrate them and to showcase all of their skills — their riding skills, their roping skills, and their beauty.”
More than 2,200 people came to see the event, where food trucks and vendors added to a picnic atmosphere.
“I love the fact that the kids and the public get to see what the horses really do,” said Terry Walsh, who has served on the Equestrian Committee for 23 years.
“In the parade, although they’re pretty and they go down the parade route, here you get to see what they really do,” she said. “You’ve got the drill teams. You’ve got the stunt riders. You’ve got the mounded shooting. You get to see the historical reenactments.”
Hundreds of people filled the indoor arena, where an enormous dirt floor served as the stage for an array of elegant Arabians, Fiesians, Lusitanos and Quarter horses.
Wayne Williams, a show producer from Whitewater, Wisconsin who also rode a horse in the Rose Parade of 1979, served as the master of ceremony.
“In the parade they have to go down the street in forward motion,” he said of the horses. “They can’t do a lot because of the confines of the street and the crowd.”
“You get to see all of their talents here,” he said. “In the parade you just get to see them go by.”
Williams described the Equestfest show as a “theater of horses. We try to stage it and make it happen like it’s changing acts on a vaudeville stage.”
He said organizing the show gets easier each time, with particular attention paid to knowing the riders and what their abilities and limitations are for a live performance. He said they also want to make the riders and their horses all look good in the process.
“He’s known in the rodeo world and we just enjoy having him,” Garrity said of Williams. “He makes sure we have a beautiful and on-time event.”
The event opened with Tournament of Roses President Ed Morales and the 2025 Rose Queen, Lindsay Charles, brought into the arena in an antique 1880’s British road coach called “The Comet,” thanks to Scripps Miramar Ranch of San Diego.
“I just want to thank all of the equine units for participating in the parade,” Morales said. “We really, really appreciate you.”
Sierra Holtz of the Scripps Miramar Ranch said that their team had spent many hours preparing the coach, trying out different flower arrangements, polishing the vintage lanterns and just making sure it’s the most beautiful it can be for the parade and this particular event.
“It’s a once in a lifetime experience,” she said. “It’s pretty spectacular, the size and the detail, and just the community of the Rose Tournament.”
She said that Equestfest was also nice because it gave all the participants a chance to spend time together, admire each unique team, and bond over the experience.
“That’s kind of the fun part of Equestfest,” she said.
Kathryne Baldwin of Lodi is participating for the second year, riding her Arabian stallion Psax.
“We have a lot of different horses that can do a lot of different things,” she said.
Known as the Versatile Arabians, she said they’re unique because they have costumed exhibition, endurance, search and rescue skills, and more in their unit.
She and Psax have worked together since 2017, and she became his owner in 2019.
“We love these horses more than anything, so it means a lot to be able to share them,” she said.
Here are the Rose Parade equestrian units:
Jarret Liotta is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and photographer.
