It’s not every parade that has a live, 4-legged, marching cow and miniature horses in addition to the full size horses commonly seen adorning parades.
But at this year’s Memorial Day Parade in Gloversville, NY, attendees were in for a special treat — thanks to the Fulton Montgomery County Cooperative Extension’s 4-H.
Fulton County’s 7-year-old Georgiana Angus and 9-year-old Izabela Williams of the Mini Horse Bits club along with their miniature horses were a delight to the children along the crowded streets, where hundreds of people had turned out for the annual event.
Seven-year-old Amelia Cosselman and her sister, 10-year-old Mikayla, Horse Lovers Unlimited members and also from Fulton County, rode their full-sized horses in the parade.
Montgomery County’s Stephanie Arndt marched her Holstein heifer, Pandora, through the entire parade with little urging.
Pandora, who is becoming well known in the Mohawk Valley because of her visits to the local county Family Farm Day events, was painted red, white and blue in honor of the Memorial Day holiday.
Arndt, a high school junior, who is also the Mohawk Valley FFA President, says that many people throughout the parade commented that there had never been a cow in the parade before and certainly never one painted with patriotic colors.
“Most people think that all cows are good for is milk — or meat,” said Arndt. “I like to show people — kids mostly — that if they put their minds to it they can do anything. People would never believe that you could get a cow to walk in a parade like that!”
Pandora made the day most memorable for some Gloversville City youngsters when, after the parade ended, she decided it was time for her to take a well-deserved nap in their front yard.
“We were getting ready to leave and she decided to plop herself down and make herself comfortable,” explained Arndt. “The kids looked like they had never seen a cow before, let alone have one in their own front yard!”