Parade of breeds

Amidst all the hustle and bustle of BreyerFest Saturday, I did find a few quiet minutes to take in a showing of the Kentucky Horse Park's Parade of Breeds.  

I'd barely had a chance to sit in my seat when the first two horses were led into the ring. They were a Lipizzan...

and a Mustang.

I like Lipizzans just fine, but 2022 has been the Year of the Mustang.

My eyes were glued to this pretty little mare from the Devil's Garden HMA in California.

Such a sweet face!

After that, we got a Chincoteague Pony...

and a Paso Fino.

As a child of the '70's who grew up reading Marguerite Henry, I was absolutely delighted to see this little guy. 

And even though I'm not making a lot of tack these days, I couldn't resist snapping a picture of his bitless Micklem bridle. Probably I won't ever need this reference, but you never know.

According to the her DNA profile, Olive's primary breed influence is the Columbian Paso Fino. 

There was another Paso Fino performing the very exaggerated Paso Fino gait in the Covered Arena throughout the BreyerFest weekend. I didn't see any of Olive in him - thank goodness! - but I could, sort of, in this more relaxed horse.

Another bridle shot, just because!

The next two horses in the ring were a Rocky Mountain Horse...

and a Haflinger.

Because of Thunder, I have a soft spot for Rockies.

This one was very different than him, but still quite nice.

The Haflinger was absolutely adorable.

If it doesn't work out with Olive, I'll take one just like this. Thank you.

The show ended with a costumed Shire.

These pictures are pretty much identical to those I took in 2017.

So many things have changed since then, but not the Kentucky Horse Park's Parade of Breeds!

I'm joking, but this actually makes me really happy. I will forever be a horse crazy ten year at heart, and the Parade of Breeds taps right into that. I hope to enjoy it again and again for decades to come.