'Gathering of the Horses' Prepped for Centennial Kick-off

The Rodeo Drive Committee and the City of Beverly Hills announces Rodeo de los Caballos (gathering of the horses), an elaborate equestrian parade to kick-off the 100-day countdown to the Beverly Hills centennial celebration.


The parade is Sunday, Oct. 13 at 11 a.m. and commemorates the historic Rodeo Drive bridle path and Beverly Hills’ rich history.

Beverly Hills Mayor John Mirisch will also announce the city’s plans for the centennial events taking place throughout 2014.

“Our iconic Rodeo Drive is the ideal place to launch our centennial celebration,” Mayor Mirisch said in a statement. “The Rodeo de los Caballos parade brilliantly links Beverly Hills’ storied past with its equally illustrious present and commemorates our connection to the Spanish land grant era of California history.”

The Rodeo Drive bridle path first opened in 1924 and use continued for more than 40 years, until its closure in 1965. The path ran on Sunset Boulevard and Rodeo Drive. 

The parade's grand marshal will be Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry, a great granddaughter of humorist and cowboy Will Rogers, who was Beverly Hills’ first
mayor. She is the co-founder of the Will Rogers Ranch Foundation and is a long-time member of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.  

During the parade, the iconic Wells Fargo stagecoach will carry representatives from each of the City of Beverly Hills’ schools. The coach is an authentic reproduction of the original Wells Fargo stagecoach and will be pulled by a specially trained team of four horses. 

The Beverly Hills Police Department Equestrian Team will accompany the stagecoach.

“Today, Rodeo Drive is one of the premiere shopping and travel destinations in the entire world and we are honored to celebrate its beginning as part of Beverly Hills’ centennial celebration,” said Jim Jahant, President of the Rodeo Drive Committee. “Rodeo Drive’s rich history includes the memorable bridle path that once graced this thoroughfare. The equestrian pageantry that will be included in Rodeo de los Caballos will honor that and the street’s place in the city’s history.”  

A centerpiece to the equestrian parade will be a tribute to Maria Rita Valdez, the original settler and owner of the land that is now considered Beverly Hills. Valdez owned the land until 1854, when she sold it to Henry Hancock and Benjamin Wilson.

The tribute will include Ballet Folklorico Azteca, which will present a dance piece in costume that reflects Mexican history, tradition and folklore. As a symbol of Mexico, Charro Mariachis will also perform with traditional music and costumes.  
Andalusian Pure Spanish Horses, known as “gentle giants,” will also join the equestrian parade. They were originally trained as warhorses and today only 5,000 of these registered horses remain in the world.

Another Rodeo de los Caballos highlight will be the Scripps Miramar Saddlebreds, as featured at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and Tournament of Roses. American Saddlebreds are best known for being elegant show horses and are prized for their gentle temperament, strength and stamina.  

Riata Ranch Cowboy Girls will be another featured performer in the parade.  The cowboy girls are known worldwide for their western performing arts including trick riding and trick roping. They have traveled to nearly 20 countries worldwide, as well as across the United States, representing the Western American lifestyle.

The Rodeo de los Caballos will also welcome other famed equestrian entries and
performers, including Military Color Guard, USC’s mascot Traveler, as well as the Beverly Hills High School Marching Band. Antique cars and a Beverly Hills antique fire engine will join the parade, along with Fred Hayman, the founder of the Rodeo Drive Committee, and his original Giorgio Rolls-Royce.

For more information about Rodeo Drive, visit the committee's website.