Mythbuster Monday: Cities in the United States Celebrate Horse Christmas
On Mythbuster Monday, we tackle a variety of equestrian myths to either bust or confirm. Today’s discussion: Do cities in the United States celebrate Horse Christmas?
It’s Mythbuster Monday, where Horse Nation dives into different equestrian myths and provides research-based evidence to either bust or confirm those myths. Today’s topic: Do cities in the United States celebrate Horse Christmas? Which cities celebrate? What does Horse Christmas consist of? How did Horse Christmas get started? Read further to find out!
Myth: Cities in the United States Celebrate Horse Christmas
Myth or Fact: Fact
Tis the season for chestnuts roasting, warm cups of hot chocolate, holiday lights, Christmas trees, holiday parties and wrapping presents. Groups of people gather to sing Christmas carols in the streets and egg nog makes its once a year appearance — but we could really live without it. But what do the horses get around the holidays? A more plump rider and a few extra carrots. However, in some cities in the United States they receive a bit more!
Pixabay/JillWellington/CC
According to an article by Equestrian Surfaces, Horse Christmas was originally celebrated in Boston, Massachusetts in 1916. It was mainly started because horses were the sole means of transportation at that time. It was started by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals due to many horses at that time suffering from malnutrition and being overworked.
A Christmas tree was set up and decorated with carrots, apples, sugar cubes and corn for horses to enjoy as they passed through town. Since the beginning of Horse Christmas in Boston, many towns and cities have adopted horse related Christmas traditions to honor the horses during the season.
Pixabay/farago_jozsef/CC
Middleburg Life wrote an article about the Horse Christmas celebration they hold in the town of Middleburg, Virginia. Middleburg is a historic town in the center of Virginia’s horse country. On the first Saturday of December every year they celebrate a Horse Christmas. The Middleburg Hunt Review takes the streets at 11 o’clock and approximately 150 horses, riders in hunt attire and a large amount of hounds ride through the town.
At two o’clock the animal-friendly Middleburg Christmas Parade begins. The parade includes horses, ponies, llamas, alpacas and a variety of dogs. Santa is placed at the end and rides on a horse-drawn carriage.
Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce wrote an article on the Horse Christmas that they hold every year and their Carriage Parade. The Lebanon Horse Drawn Carriage Parade and Festival has been an annual celebration in Lebanon, Ohio for the past 33 years. At this celebration carriage drivers from all over the United States bring their horses and carriages and participate in the parade. This event has become so large that the town offers reserved box seating.
After diving into the research, Boston, Massachusetts held the first Horse Christmas. However, the tradition has spread to many different cities and states such as Middleburg, Virginia and Lebanon, Ohio. These traditions include trees filled with horse treats, horse drawn carriage parades, hunt reviews riding through town and more!
Do you have an equine myth you’d like us to tackle? If so, send it our way! Email your suggestions to [email protected]. Put Mythbuster Monday in your subject line.
