Culver Academies’ Black Horse Troop and Equestriennes will be participating in the Presidential Inaugural Parade Wednesday, Jan. 20, for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. The parade will mark the 18th time the Black Horse Troop has participated – albeit, virtually this year – since its first appearance in 1913.
Culver submitted a video of the 48 Troopers and 22 Equestriennes in parade formation on Jan. 14. The Indiana boarding school, the only parade entrant from the state, was notified Monday that it will be part of the “Parade Across America.”
The Presidential Inaugural Parade marks the 108th anniversary of the primary reason the Black Horse Troop made that first trip to Washington, D.C. The mounted unit served as the official escort for Vice President Thomas Marshall during Woodrow Wilson’s inaugural parade in 1913 and again in 1917.
“We are honored to be invited to take part in the Presidential Inaugural Parade, the 18th for our school,” said Head of Schools Doug Bird. “It is a privilege to continue this prestigious tradition, and it reflects Culver’s time-honored values of leadership and service.”
The Troopers of Culver Military Academy and Equestriennes of Culver Girls Academy, plus members of the Horsemanship staff, have been practicing for this moment since October. They represent 14 states and six countries. Local students include Kenyan Jones, Haley Behling and Kendall Brandeburg of Culver, Emma Janda of Argos, and Sophia Fitzpatrick of Plymouth.
The “Parade Across America” will be livestreamed at https://BidenInaugural.org/watch starting at 3:15 p.m. (EST) on Wednesday, Jan. 20, and on the PIC’s social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Twitch. The PIC’s streaming partners, including Amazon Prime Video, Microsoft Bing, NewsNOW from Fox, and AT&T U-verse (Channel 212/1212 in SD/HD) and DIRECTV (Channel 201), will also carry the program live.
The 2021 inaugural marks the 18th appearance for the Troop and the eighth for the Equestriennes. After the 1917 inaugural parade, Culver went 40 years before returning to Washington in 1957 for President Eisenhower’s second term. The Indiana boarding school has been represented by mounted units at every parade since, except in 1993 when an invitation for President Clinton’s first inaugural parade was not extended.
