Thirteen riders and their palomino horses of the Merced County Sheriff’s Posse are taking part in the 123rd annual Rose Parade. They are part of a group paying homage to one of the most famous cowboys of all time, Roy Rogers, in recognition of his 100th birthday.
The Merced County Sheriff’s Posse was formed in 1948 and consists of all volunteer riders. This will be their first appearance at the Rose Parade, but the group participates in an average of 25 parades per year, traveling more than 3,000 miles yearly.
In the past the posse has represented Merced County in the 1973 Inaugural Parade in Washington D.C. and the country’s bi-centennial parade in Washington D.C. in 1976. They were the only equestrians from California to be invited to participate in the Inaugural Parade for George W. Bush in 2005.
The posse, which prefers to perform a slow trot down parade routes, has won numerous awards. Most recently, they took home two first place awards at the 2011 Salinas Rodeo Parade Weekend.
In addition to parades, the posse serves as color guards at many of the Portuguese Bloodless Bullfights and as goodwill ambassadors for the sheriff’s department.
All the riding gear used by the posse, aside from the saddles, is sterling silver.