Seven students from Michiana will be among the 44 riders from Culver Academies performing this weekend (Jan. 22-23) at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo in Fort Worth, Texas.
In addition to appearing in the opening ceremonies, Culver will be performing four times during the Jan. 22-23 weekend at the World’s Original Indoor Rodeo in the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum. The Black Horse Troop Lancer Platoon will perform Friday, Jan. 22, at the 7:30 p.m. rodeo, and again Saturday, Jan. 23, at 2 p.m. The Equestriennes will be performing Saturday, Jan. 23, at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The Lancers are under the command of senior Alex Krupp of Mishawaka. The 22-member unit also includes Reilly Combs of LaPorte and William Wakeland of New Paris. The Lancers hail from seven states and four countries.
The Equestriennes unit includes Shannon Klaus of St. Joseph, Mich., Morgan McBride of Granger, Elanna Reavill O’Toole of Culver, and Emma Sexton of Argos. Overall, the CGA riders come from 11 states and five countries.
This year marks the return of the Academies’ riders to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo after an 18-year sabbatical. Culver Military Academy’s Lancer Platoon first appeared in 1975 and returned in 1998, when it performed seven times and rode in the rodeo parade over a four-day span. 2016, however, will mark the Fort Worth debut of the Equestriennes, the honor mounted unit of Culver Girls Academy.
Since 1897, Culver has been teaching the qualities of patience and perseverance by placing students in the saddle. The Horsemanship Department has developed a progressive curriculum designed to develop character and leadership while learning to control and manage the horse. The program involves about 125 boys and girls each school year.
Celebrating 120 years, the legendary Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo began Jan. 15 and runs through Feb. 6. The 23-day show at Will Rogers Memorial Center features 36 rodeo performances, parades, livestock exhibits, a carnival midway, live music, and more.
The Fort Worth trip is the latest of Lancer and Equestrienne appearances at major events and parades in the United States – including 16 appearances in Presidential Inaugural Parades for the Lancers and seven for the Equestriennes since 1985.
The 2013 Presidential Inaugural Parade marked the 100th anniversary of Culver’s first ride down Pennsylvania Avenue. The Black Horse Troop served as the official escort for Vice President Thomas Marshall during President Woodrow Wilson’s inaugural parade in 1913 and again in 1917. Marshall was governor of Indiana from 1909-13.
The Equestriennes and Lancers also have ridden in the Kentucky Derby Pegasus Parade and the Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade. In November 2015, the Black Horse Troop’s Friesian Mounted Color Guard appeared at the Breeder’s Cup in Lexington, Ky., and rode in the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Chicago.
For more information on horsemanship at Culver Academies visit www.culver.org/culverhorsemanship.
