Farmington Parade

Every summer, Kari (the horse trainer), gets it in her head to take our precious horses and make them be in a parade. Let me say right here that our personal horses, Griffin, Sophie and Rocko, have never been in a parade and never will be. What a crazy idea! Children yelling, balloons, brass bands, poppers- all those things that send horses right over the edge into insanity. Sure, Kari gives all the horses what she calls a "cocktail" (a tranquilizer), but really, why take the chance? Shannon once rode a barn horse in the Layton parade, but it was a BARN horse, not one of my beloved babies. For occasions like this, I become the barn photographer. Fine with me! Yesterday was the Farmington parade. Here are a few highlights:
The semi gets a fresh wash and wax, in preparation for decorating:The barn pets get to come too! There is Piglet, Jingles with Jennifer, and Alverson my goat friend with Jennifer's dad, Steve, who just finished a tour in Korea.
Slinky, the worst dog ever, needed some help from Joy to get on the semi:Stave and Janet's twins, Luke and Logan, were the pooper skooppers. They got to drive the lawn mower, which is a big deal when you are 10!Kari found a candy prize on the parade route:Some of our riders: Deb and Killian:
Lexi and Sysco:Tara with Pop Tart and Janet with Zoe:Lollie and Horace:This is Ivan. He is a veteran of Desert Storm, where he piloted Blackhawk helicopters. In the parade, he wore his Bronze Star and his Purple Heart. When in Iraq, he was exposed to chemicals that caused different types of cancer in his body. He has had multiple surgeries and has had some of his internal organs removed, resulting in permanent drainage tubes. Ivan undergoes regular radiation treatments and uses "special suckers" to control the constant pain he feels. He is in and out of the hospital with infections. But Ivan loves to ride! He has been riding Pistol for about 8 months, going to shows and winning ribbons. To be honest, it makes us all nervous to have him ride, because if he fell off, who knows what would happen to him. But at the same time, he inspires us with his will to continue doing the things he loves to do, even with the pain. It was a fun parade!