The Hawaii Carriage Driving Society participated in the opening ceremonies for the 54th annual Parker Ranch Fourth of July Rodeo and Horse Races.
The Hawaii Carriage Driving Society participated in the opening ceremonies for the 54th annual Parker Ranch Fourth of July Rodeo and Horse Races.
Driving a pair of horses pulling a three-seater carriage with a fringed top, club members delivered rodeo honoree state Sen. Kai Kahele, along with his wife and children, to the podium to receive a citation for his father, the late state Sen. Gilbert Kahele.
Gilbert Kahele was a staunch advocate for the cattle industry in Hawaii and the community of Waimea, the home of Parker Ranch. HCDS member Karen FitzGerald drove her pair of mares — Ehiku, a quarter horse, and Ruby, a Haflinger/Morgan cross. Club member Chris Alvarez did the grooming duties, holding the mares while the passengers mounted and dismounted. With the applause they received, it appeared the crowd of about 3,200 definitely appreciated the special touch the horse-drawn carriage added to the opening ceremonies.
During the rodeo, the HCDS had an information booth in the club president’s 38-foot horse trailer. The focus of the booth was educating the public about the Hawaii Carriage Driving Society and the organizations the club is affiliated with: the Carriage Association of America and American Driving Society.
”It was a wonderful event for educating the public that the art and skill of carriage driving is alive and well in Hawaii,” said John FitzGerald, HCDS events chairman. “In addition to driving, we also promoted the identification and restoration of horse-drawn vehicles in Hawaii. Parker Ranch has three carriages that the HCDS will start working on in 2017.”
The HCDS is looking forward to next year’s event and the Hawaii Horse Expo on Aug. 6-7 at Pukalani Stables, with an information booth and a driving demonstration. One of the HCDS’s missions is to identify Hawaii’s horse-drawn vehicles and work toward restoring and cataloging as many of the carriages as possible.
For more information about the Hawaii Carriage Driving Society, contact John FitzGerald at 987-4947 or email fitzz@maui.net.