The Silver Spurs Riding Club’s legendary Quadrille Team will be saddlin’ up and ridin’ West to celebrate New Year’s 2024.
They’re riding all the way to California — that one heck of a trail ride.
The Quadrille — the Spurs’ horsemanship team that performs “Square dancing on horseback” at the annual rodeos and other events — has been selected to be one of 18 equestrian teams from across the nation to ride in the 135th Rose Parade, as part of the Tournament of Roses and the Rose Bowl Game, on Jan. 1 in Pasadena, Calif., a short gallop from the hills of Los Angeles. It takes place at 11 a.m. Eastern time and includes the equestrian units, marching bands and iconic rose-covered floats. It precedes the annual Rose Bowl game which, this year, is a College Football Playoff semifinal.
The trip is still a few weeks away, but the logistics of it have been on the mind of Quadrille Chair Ashley Fluke and Rodeo Parade Chief Kaye Whaley since the word came down the Silver Spurs were selected earlier this month.
“We’ve been seeking a lot of veteran advice, a lot of thought is going into this. It’s going to be ‘Christmas in California,’” she said.
The horses will be trucked across the country on what’s expected to be a four-day trek. The Quadrille is participating in EquestFest, when the Rose Parade’s equestrian units showcase their breeds and demonstrate their talent on Dec. 29. Since they have to be there the day before that, the epic journey will start around Dec. 23.
“There’s two truck drivers on the Quadrille team, and we have rodeo and stock contractor connections along the way so we can make our stops,” Fluke said. “The horses have to get out and move every few hours. There is a lot of planning going into this. I know I’ve been California-focused for a couple weeks now.”
About 16 Quadrille riders and support staff will be flying out around Dec. 27. Since they’ll have to ready at sunrise on Jan. 1, they’ll be spending “the ultimate New Year’s slumber party under the stars.”
The plan is to return to Florida after the parade late on Jan. 1 if the horses are good to start the trip, with a rest stop planned for them before the caravan leaves California.
Whaley, who serves a number of roles with the Silver Spurs including putting on the annual Rodeo Parade in February, brought up the putting the horse’s hats (bridles?) in the ring to be included.
“Over the last holiday break I saw EquestFest on (Rodeo TV), and thought it was interesting, and at the end it showed how to participate in the (2024) event,” she said. “I thought it fit right in with what we do in the Quadrille does, so I applied.”
The process took about three months. After submitting the application in May — and making sure the rest of the team was committed to a holiday trip to L.A. if selected — Whaley said she got word in August that the Spurs Quadrille had been picked; they, along with a group from Washington, D.C. will travel the farthest.
“When I found out, I just called Ashley, and we were just screaming,” Whaley said. “Then we got confirmation from the Spurs board that we were covered to go.”
The team has already gotten support from Experience Kissimmee (a $50,000 grant) and the Osceola County Commission. If anyone from the community wants to contribute, a Silver Spurs donation page is set up at www.silverspursrodeo.com.
“We’re so thankful for all the support,” Fluke said. “We’re taking Osceola County with us.”
And, of course, they’re taking their soul to serve as well. They will provide meal boxes and other living necessities for the less fortunate in he Los Angeles community.
Going back a number of decades and generations, the Silver Spurs organization began as a Quadrille team and grew from there to what it is today: the largest rodeo east of the Mississippi. And the team is taking it back “old school” — Fluke said her mother, Martha Booth, wife and mother of past rodeo “Big Bosses” and a Spurs’ Lifetime Achievement Award winner, is making “throwback” shirts for the riders to wear to show off their heritage.
“We’re putting what we do on the national stage,” Fluke said. “With this many members committing to go, and figuring out how to get there, it’s really been special and amazing.”
Current Silver Spurs Rodeo Big Boss Sara Berlinsky said she’s excited for the Quadrille to take the name of our local rodeo on a national stage.
“Being chosen to ride in the iconic Rose Parade in California is not just an honor for the Quadrille of the Silver Spurs Riding Club,” she said. “It’s a testament to our dedication, passion, and the rich traditions we uphold."
