Manchester peeps do you remember?

[mattilda]

The Pony Parade they had at Christmas time? While I was mucking out this morning I was thinking about them. The yard I kept my horse on back then (we are talking 20+ years ago at least!) entered every year til they stopped doing them. Well twice!! We won our group both times and both horses and riders had a great time. We would parade through Manchester city centre with a police horse escort and end up in St Annes Square for the judging. Our yard would sing Christmas carols and just have a great laugh. Aaaaaah those were the days!! I still have the horse I took back then he is 29 years young and still going strong.

 

[henryhorn]

No, but we had Annual Road Safety competitions judged by the Mounted Police in Rossendale not so far away which consisted of Tack and Turn out and then a ridden test in teams of four round a couple of mile long course on busy roads. I bet they wouldn't dare try that now.
I entered three years running with a team of my riding school horse and ponies, we were second the first year then won after that both times. I used to drive behind the poor devils on practice nights yelling out of my car window!
your parades sound wonderful, the nearest we get nowadays is when our stallion leads the annual carnival through the village, and sooner or later Elf and safety will stop that I'm sure.