Last year at this time I submitted a letter to the editor expressing my disappointment that horses were banned from the Santa Clarita Valley Fourth of July parade. I also emailed (the parade committee, which) responded to my email explaining the “rule change” disallowing horses was made out of an abundance of caution for the safety of parade goers. Apparently a previous year there was a problem between a horse and spectator or horse and rider — a detail I don’t know. Knowing that the city was taking over parade planning in 2026 I was hopeful that rule change would be thrown out and once again we would see horses highlighted in our Fourth of July parade.
Well, once again horses are a no go! It’s pretty ironic how the “SCV Cowboy Culture” is featured in the June 21 edition of The Sunday Signal. The article highlights William S. Hart, Gene Autry, Roy Baker, Bob Anderson, Hoot Gibson, Harry Carey and others all who have left their mark in the cowboy culture of our valley. For nearly 100 years horses have been a mainstay in our parade, but now are disallowed because of a one-time near miss. This is so disappointing. What’s the real reason?
Lesley Reisinger-Green
Castaic
