“My grandmother had been a lead majorette for Long Beach City College in the Rose Parade in the 1940s,” begins Brenda Forsythe a SLO County resident. “It was one of the highlights of her life and she never forgot it and she never stopped talking about it.”
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Entering the 2025 Tournament of Roses Parade
“It was a bucket list thing we had always wanted to do,” states Brenda in response to the opportunity to ride in the renown Tournament of Roses Parade. Brenda and her husband, Jerry Beatty, rode two of their home-bred Andalusian mares down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, CA on January 1, 2025. They were part of the Equestrian entry: International Andalusian and Lusitano Horses Association.
“The International Andalusian and Lusitano Horse Association decided to commemorate its 30th anniversary by entering the Rose Parade. So, my husband and I,” continues Brenda, “signed up to take our horses in this parade with our breed Association.”
Preparing for the Rose Parade

One does not just enter the Rose Parade – It’s the pinnacle of parades. There is work, practice, preparation and honor involved. Participants experience television stations broadcasting the event while stands of spectators start the parade route, followed by curb crowds all along the five-and-a-half-mile parade route. On top of that, there are many marching bands, flowered floats, flapping flags, and lots and lots of people. It truly becomes a memory of a lifetime.
To prepare for such a spectacle, Brenda and Jerry entered all the local parades they could. They rode their mares in the Orcutt Christmas parade twice. In 2024 they added the Old Spanish days parade as part of the Santa Barbara fiesta.
International Andalusian and Lusitano Horse Association Parade Entry

Since Iberian horses (Andalusian and Lusitano) participate in different disciplines the equestrian entry showcased this versatility. Therefore, 16 Iberian horses represented these disciplines with riders in Dressage, Hunt seat, Western, Saddleseat, and traditional Portuguese and Spanish tack and attire. Jerry and Brenda represented dressage with their tack and attire. Their Andalusian horses wore garlands of roses around their necks, and as riders they wore red rose boutonnieres pinned on the jacket pocket.
Tournament of Roses Pre-Parade Fun and Activities
Equestfest Puts Rose Parade Horses and Riders on Display

Each Equestrian entry in the Rose Parade is required to assemble a presentation in full-parade dress for Equestfest, a public event, the weekend before the parade, at the Los Angeles equestrian center. The Iberian group showcased Working Equitation. Garrocha pole work was chosen as one of the elements that demonstrates ease of handling and speed phases at Working Equitation shows. The rest of the group rode around the arena in their parade dress. Brenda describes an unexpected aspect of the event: “Our horses also had to contend with actual cannon fire and gunfire that was part of the routines of some of the military and US Cavalry entries!”

Private Rose Parade Participant Reception
The Parade is not the only event the participants experience. On top of Equestfest, there is also a private, invitation-only reception.
Brenda tells of the reception experience: “We were invited to a special reception on Friday night, 5 days before the parade, in Pasadena along the parade route. Here we saw for the first time just how towering and numerous the bleachers were! It was our first real realization of what was actually going to be happening on parade day!
Dinner with the Iberian Horse Group
Bonding as a team was encouraged. The IALHA group gathered for a team dinner on Saturday night at an IALHA member’s home near the Los Angeles equestrian center.
Trail Riding in Griffith Park

“Since our horses were required to be stabled at Los Angeles equestrian center from Friday through Tuesday for Equestfest and parade prep, Jerry and I took the horses trail riding in Griffith Park each day while we were there. That was lovely and relaxing and helped our horses stay balanced and kept stress down,” expressed Brenda.
It’s Almost Rose Parade Go Time!
Tuesday evening, the night before the parade, The IALHA group caravaned with horses in trailers to a section of the 210 Freeway purposely blocked-off for the horse trailers to camp out overnight near the parade route. Brenda describes that experience, “It was very brightly, lit and noisy, and sleeping was nearly impossible. It was sleepless night for us and the horses who all had to spend the night in their trailers.”
Getting Rose Parade Ready


Getting horses groomed and tacked up plus riders dressed on a blocked-off freeway is no easy task. “At 3:00 am we began the process of getting ourselves and our horses “parade ready” in the relative darkness with little sleep,” Brenda retraces the parade prep. “We had to be mounted by 6:00 am to traverse up a freeway on-ramp, cross an overpass, and go through some residential neighborhoods to the next staging area. Here we waited a couple of hours for our turn to funnel into the parade on Orange Grove Avenue.

Go Time!
“We found ourselves inserted between a flag twirling drill team and a marching band! It was sensory overload for the horses!” expressed Brenda recounting the experience. “So, we all went down Orange Grove Avenue in a tight formation of four rows of four horses each, headed for TV corner, where we turned right onto Colorado Boulevard.
Off They Go!
Once funneled into the parade line up, the group meets the bleacher stands full of loud, excited people and news crews. Brenda says, “The horses generally did very well with this chaos and commotion.”

The Equestrian entries easily engage with the crowd. Riders wave with only the left hand while in the bleacher section to avoid covering their face with an arm while the TV cameras are rolling. The entire parade is almost six miles long and takes nearly three hours to complete.
The IALHA engaged with the audience by side passing while waving, and stopping whenever possible to say hello and visit with the spectators. At the end of the parade route, riders watered and rinsed off the horses and packed everything up. Jerry and Brenda then started the long drive home to SLO County. “We were happy to be home, but exhausted. It took us a few days to recover,” reports Brenda.
About the Iberian Horses
Andalusians are a Spanish breed and Lusitano is a Portuguese breed. Lumped together they are considered to be Iberian horses, due to the regions they hail from. These horses are generally large and heavy, but very light movers with a lot of front-end action considered “Brio”. They are generally really intelligent and sensitive.
About Jerry and Brenda’s Andalusian Horses

Jerry and Brenda both focus on Working Equitation and Dressage with their horses. Brenda’s mare is Mediterraneo’s Venezia, also known as Vinny, and is a 13-year-old Andalusian. Jerry’s mare, Encantada Estrella, nicknamed Todd is seven-years-old. They are mother and daughter. This couple also foaled a second baby out of Vinny. At three years old, “Nikki” is just getting started undersaddle. Jerry and Brenda raise and train their own horses.
“Best Day Ever” Theme of the 2025 Tournament of Roses Parade
Riding in the Tournament of Roses Parade is certainly a “Best Day Ever” which was also the theme of the 2025 Rose Parade. Brenda says, “My grandmother was right, being in the Rose Parade was amazing! It is now a memory of a lifetime for sure. We’re so glad we went. It’s hard to imagine what it’s like until you’ve done it. Now, we won’t stop talking about it!”
Photo credit (except cover photo): Ashton Kingsley AJSK Photography

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