Christmas de Caballos 2011

CHAMP members Erin Doyle and Bruce Hosier escorted Santa Claus in Bruce’s carriage with help from Gavin Young.

 By Melanie Scholer

Sleigh bells jingled despite an absence of snow.  The reindeer stayed home.  Santa arrived in a carriage driven by Bruce Hosier of Corrales and drawn by a coal black Friesian horse.  The elves played hooky; Gavin Young and Erin Doyle were the only attendants.  The entourage however, numbered over 200.

The ninth Christmas de Caballos Parade made its way down Corrales Road the afternoon of November 20.  Organized by CHAMP, the Corrales Horse and Mule People, the annual event benefits the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program.  The mission of the program is to collect new, unwrapped toys and dispense them as Christmas gifts to needy children in the communities in which the campaigns are conducted.  Toys donated through the Corrales program are distributed in the greater Albuquerque area.  Staff Sargent Lucas Rodriguez, attached to Kirtland Air Force Base, served as the Marine Corps liaison for the 2011 parade.

A veteran of the Pacific campaign in World War II, Richard Hicks, was the grand marshal of the 2011 parade, riding in a replica of a 19th century horse-drawn stagecoach.

Christmas de Caballos is a parade for horses, riders and horse drawn vehicles only.  No mechanized means of transport are permitted with the one exception being the necessary “Poop Patrol” ATV operated and manned by Mike and Janet Crosby and Pat Harrington.  From first inception, the parade has showcased the equine lifestyle for which Corrales, the “Horse Capital of New Mexico,” is known.

Participants assembled at the Wagner Corn Maze between noon and one o’clock.  Carriages, wagons and the old stagecoach pulled south while horses, minis, donkeys and riders assembled on the northern half of the property.   Renee, Linn Clark- Vasquez, husband David, John and Gail Tunberg, all of Corrales, Glenda Young, and Madelyn and Paul Noble, Edgewood, gathered release forms and waved through surges of participants.  Participants were asked to bring an unwrapped new toy as the price of admission.

Volunteers from the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Reserve graciously gave their time to enact the collapsing road block, escort the parade down Corrales Road and assist Corrales officers.  APD Mounted Unit Sargent Jimmy Collins, on Rudy, and Officers Marvin Barnes, Mike Brodbeck and Joe Kassa on Romeo, Jake and Max assisted with traffic control.  The NM Mounted Search and Rescue unit was represented by Jim Edmiston , Joe Falzone, Dave Bushmire, Melissa Nash, Melissa Deaver  and Matt Coulombe.

Some of the participants in the 2011 Christmas de Caballos Parade line up for a group photo.  The parade turned out to be too big for even a wide angle photo. Click on the photo for a little more detail.

Corrales Pet Mayor Aspen, ridden by Nancy Freshour, led the parade flanked by Pet Mayor Pro Tem, Sherman, with Jim Owens in the saddle.  Mike and Kathryn Sikorski served as parade marshals while Wild Horse Harry Touloumis coordinated wagons with toys, Human Mayor Phil Gasteyer and Council members Pat Clauser and John Alsobrook.

Eric Roybal of Pecos contacted parade organizer Melanie Scholer to offer his stagecoach as transportation for the parade Grand Marshall, Richard Hicks.  Hicks, 87, served with the 4th Marine Division in World War II.  A tank radio operator with the 10 Amphibious Tank Battalion, he served in the Marshall Islands and on Saipan before being deployed to Iwo Jima on February 15, 1945.  Wounded in that operation, he was awarded the Purple Heart by the United States government.  He was accompanied in his stagecoach run by his wife Shirley and friend Aleatha Scholer.

Participants and spectators piled a wagon with toys for the Marine Corps Toys for Tots campaign.

CHAMP member Milton Strauss walked the 2.5 miles with the parade collecting financial donations from spectators and raising over $100 for further toy purchases.  Tony Messec arrived at the Corn Maze having offered his services to work traffic, but instead, kindly served as safety side walker for three young girls in a miniature horse drawn cart when the need presented itself.

Group photos taken at Top Form Arena after the parade defied the use of a wide angle lens and required a series of three photographs to catch all participants.  Total participation could only be tabulated with a manual count of horses in those photographs – 208.

Staff Sargent Lucas packed the last of the toys into a black government SUV, thanked CHAMP and parade participants and began the magical transformation of SUV to Santa’s sleigh.

Doug Williams, who is retired from the Salvation Army, put together a photo montage of this year’s parade.   Lisa Westfall and her daughter Jen of Laughing Orca Ranch in Tijeras also posted some great photos.  We also have some other photos and we are always interested in other contributions.

Parade organizer Melanie Scholer compares notes with Santa.   CHAMP President Steve Henry has been instrumental in revitalizing the organization.   CHAMP Board Member Steve Komadina will take over additional responsibilities in 2012.