Margarita Rose

riding Sierra de Angelina

"When you are blessed to have horses, you are blessed enough." I have been lucky enough to have horses my entire life. Before I could walk I was in the saddle. I chuckle when I tell people that I am 36 years old but have been riding for 37 years. My mom gave me the love and passion I have for horses. As she rode while I was in the womb, I also rode while my son was in the womb. He is 9 and also shares the love of riding with both mom and I. 2011 will be the year that special memories are made because my mom will be riding next to me in the Rose Parade. Mother and daughter on horses that are mother and daughter. How exciting is that?
I started training horses over 10 years ago when I purchased Angelina, a 7 year old un-broke Peruvian Paso mare. She is the one my son rides most often now (and also mom in the Rose Parade) as I am working with her daughter, Sierra, who made her first appearance in the Rose Parade last year. I also just acquired Angelina's brother, Cefiro this year and am excited that he is now part of our family. It is a pleasure and very rewarding to train my own small herd and am frequently complimented on my well-behaved horses. I believe firmly in the all-around horse and challenge my horses to do whatever I throw at them be it parades, endurance riding, showing, cow work or pleasure riding. I also love being a part of a re-enactment club because I love the costumes and the history. The Victorian era lent itself to a woman's wardrobe that was quite elaborate with bright color dresses and fussy accessories. I enjoy costume contests at re-enactment events such as Barstow's Mojave Trail Days and Tombstone's Wyatt Earp Days. I create my own costumes and hats because I am a designer and I find that researching historical patterns and materials is fascinating. Sometimes I feel I am living halfway between two worlds: the modern and the yesteryear.

Sierra is an 8 year old bay Peruvian Paso mare with a ton of Spanish black hair and just as much flair. She is only 13.3 hands tall (but in personality she is much, much bigger). She is the daughter of Angelina, the mare I rode in the 2009 Rose Parade. In 2008, Sierra was the recipient of the NAPHA High Point Parade Horse award. That means in her registry, she was the best parade horse in the country! She was my partner last year in the Rose Parade and she did wonderful. This is her second year under side-saddle and she is truly amazing to watch in parades. She has a very high step! I enjoy riding her so much that I never let anyone else ride her. She is the bright red Ferrari that I have always dreamed of. We will be turning heads in the parades again this year!