# Anyone ever dealt with parade after dark?



## Sandee (Nov 8, 2011)

Our clubs has been asked to participate in a Christmas parade but it is scheduled for after 5. In other words it will be dark ... except for the street lights which might make it worse. I am referring to driving a horse in these conditions. My horses have all been in parades but never with scarey shadows and dark places.

I know from past experience that some horses ( at least the big ones) don't deal well with the dark......there are boogey things out there! I'm thinking I should maybe let my daughter (40) drive and I walk next to the horse or even lead another horse next to the driving horse. Any opinions or ideas?


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## djskid (Nov 8, 2011)

Last year was our first year of going to parades with our boys and their third one was an evening parade. We really didn't notice any difference in their behaviour. Our routine for all of the parades was for my Dad to drive the team and then I walked along side just in case there was a problem. At their very first parade we discovered that they didn't like the brick cross walks-they were great with everything else but at the corners where they had the bricks, I took the boys by the head to get them to go over. At the night parade, we changed our decorations so that instead of the bows etc, we used battery operated lights and snowflakes etc so that they were still able to look festive. Our biggest complaint about the evening parade is that it was MUCH colder than the others!!!

Have fun whatever you decide to do!!


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## happy appy (Nov 8, 2011)

We attend several parades every year and have never noticed a difference in the horses at the night ones. They just march along without any concern.


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## hobbyhorse23 (Nov 8, 2011)

I haven't done any parades but both of mine drive fine at night including on busy roads. Horses see quite well in the dark, it's the sudden contrast between brightly lit areas and dark ones that cause them to spook as their eyes do not adjust quickly. It's never a bad idea to have a header but they'll most likely be fine.

Leia

P.S.- Just an afterthought, but the horses I've noticed who are silly after dark are typically stabled at night. Those who are used to coming and going or being stabled in a field overnight don't see anything to get silly about.


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## Marsha Cassada (Nov 8, 2011)

I've done a night parade. But we went down the main street and it was anything but dark! The lighted stuff did show up, however. I wouldn't worry about it being very dark. ThreeCFarm had a battery in her buggy so she was lit from nose to tailgate. I just had battery lights woven in my horse's mane. It was a town I've never paraded in before so I don't know if it was "normal", but everyone seemed more festive and lively than a daytime parade. If you are unsure, it might be a good idea to have someone walk along beside.

Have fun!


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## susanne (Nov 9, 2011)

I wouldn't worry about my horse so much as the idiots in the crowd. Hopefully the hooligans be out at a family-oriented Christmas parade, but I think having a header would be very wise.

I've yet to drive in a parade, but I've marched in 50 or more, including Portland's Rose Festival (Grand Floral and Twilight) and Seattle's Seafair (Grand parade and Torchlight). With both the Twilight and the Torchlight, the creeps seemed to come out of the woodwork. I remember having a sailor put his arm around me and march along side of me, trying to kiss me and being generally obnoxious. I told him if he broke my saxophone reed, he would die, right in front of everyone. At least I had my priorities straight!

Portland's evening Christmas parade is much more innocent, but I'm still cautious about driving in any night parade.


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## ThreeCFarm (Nov 9, 2011)

As Marsha said, I have done nighttime parades. With the exception of one parade, the horses never acted any different. In the parade that bothered them, I don't feel the time of day had anything to do with it. Those people were very loud, crowding the parade, music was cranked up loud, etc. My main concern for parades at night is that the horses often get abandoned at the end of the route. This makes it especially important to make sure you are well lit, because odds are, you will be driving down some fairly dark streets to get back to your trailer. In the parade Marsha was referring to, my horse was pulling a Doctor's buggy type vehicle, so the buggy was outlined with Christmas rope lights (using a marine battery and a power inverter), and I had small battery operated strands of lights in the wheels and on the horse.


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## rabbitsfizz (Nov 9, 2011)

We did "All the Queens Horses" at night- we did the practises in the day time, every day- if you are worried I would suggest a drive through in daylight, but honestly, it was only necessary for us silly humans so we knew where to go- the horses went from pitch dark into a brightly lit arena with a HUGE screen showing what was going on in the arena (like a rock show) and noisy crowds, round the arena and then out about 15 minis later into pitch black- we went out a completely different way, and had to walk, I reckon, about half a mile back, part of it down a road. There were loads of marshalls around to make sure we were safe but the horses (and there were loads, including two four in hand road coaches) were all completely fine. It was us humans who got lost and tripped over things. By the end of the week we were just leaving them to find their way back to the horse box where we unharnessed, and we had to hang onto them there or they would just take themselves back to their stalls!

I think Leia is completely right, horses see better in the dark, I used to ride a pony mare along a main road in the pitch black, and canter her over open ground, and she never once stumbled.


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## Sandee (Nov 9, 2011)

It really wasn't the stumbling that was concerning me. I have been on a "been there done that" big horse used for shows and parades but the one time I decide to ride side saddle in a parade it was after dark. He was fine until we reached the street with all the people and streetlights and then he sort of froze. If it hadn't been for his buddy being right there and continuing on, I'm not sure just what might have happened.

My old gelding, who is very reliable normally, I am concerned that his vision may be limited and therefore the shadows might cause a problem. The two younger horses (8 & 6) have, at different times, "run away" with my daughter although they've never given me much trouble at all. I know she wants to drive so I'm just trying to think ahead.


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## Field-of-Dreams (Nov 9, 2011)

We've been in a couple night parades and I didn't notice a difference. This year we are in the Parade of Lights in Fort Worth and have to be lit stem to stern, so we'll see if there's a difference. We do have drivers and walkers for safety.


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## hobbyhorse23 (Nov 9, 2011)

If the horses run away with her but not with you, I'd say you need to be the one driving!

Leia


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## Sue_C. (Nov 9, 2011)

> My old gelding, who is very reliable normally, I am concerned that his vision may be limited and therefore the shadows might cause a problem. The two younger horses (8 & 6) have, at different times, "run away" with my daughter although they've never given me much trouble at all. I know she wants to drive so I'm just trying to think ahead.


Personally, given the scenarios presented, I would be watching the parade, not attending it. I have seen seasoned/sane/100% reliable horses go berserk at the sounds of parade bands, firetruck sirens etc...and you've not just you and your's to think of, but all the people and other animals in the parade as well as the bystanders.


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## Marsha Cassada (Nov 9, 2011)

ThreeCFarm said:


> As Marsha said, I have done nighttime parades. With the exception of one parade, the horses never acted any different. In the parade that bothered them, I don't feel the time of day had anything to do with it. Those people were very loud, crowding the parade, music was cranked up loud, etc. My main concern for parades at night is that the horses often get abandoned at the end of the route. This makes it especially important to make sure you are well lit, because odds are, you will be driving down some fairly dark streets to get back to your trailer. In the parade Marsha was referring to, my horse was pulling a Doctor's buggy type vehicle, so the buggy was outlined with Christmas rope lights (using a marine battery and a power inverter), and I had small battery operated strands of lights in the wheels and on the horse.


Yes, driving back to the trailer on the dark streets could be interesting. If you can have someone take your trailer to the end of the parade that would be good. After the parade, the streets became dark and deserted. We parked our trailer where the parade would end, then drove the horse back to the beginning of the parade for the start.

Stephanie kindly did not mention that my passenger throwing candy, hit her horse. But Bob was great! Better if you have a pedestrian with you to hand out the candy, instead of throwing. Your parade coordinator may even require that.

Also, someone in our group dropped a cell phone. On a dark street, dropping a camera or cell phone could be tricky trying to find it again. Luckily we saw it and were able to retrieve it before the rest of the parade trampled it. So, keep those secure.

Stephanie, let's think about doing that one again. I really enjoyed it.


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## shorthorsemom (Nov 9, 2011)

If you have a snowcap appaloosa you might have problems after dark, they are night blind.

http://www.appaloosaproject.info/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=31

Other than that, depends on the horse. I have had riding horses that rode the same, dark or light, we used to go on midnight rides and it was great.


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## happy appy (Nov 9, 2011)

The only way to truly know is to walk the route this year with him and drive next. That way you have lots of control, the helper could walk beside him too just in case.


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## rabbitsfizz (Nov 10, 2011)

I really would suggest you walk the course, as it were- and even, if feasible, take the horse along it as well, even if you only lead him!!


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## Performancemini (Nov 10, 2011)

We have been in parades and several night parades. Whenever we drive; no matter how seasoned the the horse(s) , we always have at least one "sidewalker" per horse-for safety's sake. If a horse has never been in a parade, we always walk them in at least one parade to introduce them. I know you are in Wisconsin-but not sure where. We used to do the Sharon/Clinton Wisconsin Christmas parade until they introduced FIREWORKS at the end of the parade-that ended it for us! (personally don't think fireworks and horses mix at all!




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