CULVER, Ind. (WTHR) - Ahead of President-Elect Donald Trump and Vice President-Elect Mike Pence's inauguration this week in Washington D.C., Eyewitness News has been meeting groups of Hoosiers participating in the Inauguration.
One of those groups comes from Culver Academies in Culver, Indiana, which has a long history of appearing in the Presidential Inaugural Parade with their Black Horse Troop.
This year will bring their 17th appearance in the Inaugural Parade. The horse troop first appeared in the parade in 1913. The troop was the personal escort for Vice President Thomas Marshall who was the governor of Indiana from 1909 to 1913.
For the parade this week, 57 young men and 23 young women are making the trip. The men are part of the Culver Military Academy's Black Horse Troop and the women are part of the Culver Girls Academy Equestriennes.
Some of the students have parents or siblings who have participated in past inaugural parades through Culver's horsemanship program. There is also a pair of brothers riding this year.
The logistics of sending 80 horses and students to the parade are complicated. The horses have to be shipped in five 18-wheelers that each hold 15 horses. A Culver trailer will also carry 6 horses.
The students have been preparing by practicing several times a week. They also practice on the weekends by taking the horses on street pavement.
"We've been preparing for it since October, so we've been practicing and going through obstacles, and desensitizing the horses and getting used to riding for that long, and hopefully it will all pay off at the end," said Culver sophomore and Carmel native, Karinna Kanach.
The Academy's history of horsemanship draws students like Kanach to the boarding school every year.
"I think I'm most excited to ride in the inaugural. I feel like it's an amazing opportunity and I'm so blessed to be able to go, and I can't wait," Kanach said.
"I am very excited, the inaugural and the troop’s participation has been a big part of the history, and just being a part of that is a great honor," said Culver Junior and Carmel native Sean Kim. "Especially to represent this entire academy. It's such a wonderful prestigious event, I'm so excited, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity."
"I know that this year's inaugural may or may not be controversial but it really doesn't matter, because it's a part of a tradition that has lasted for many, many years and it's always an honor," said Carmel native and Culver student Jerry Jin. "What we're there for is basically to celebrate a peaceful transition of power."
Each inauguration, Culver vies for a spot in the parade, though it is never a guarantee. The school sends in letters from the governor, senators and even the students themselves.
"It's actually quite a challenge to get an invitation to ride in that parade, or even march or do anything in the parade," said Ed Little, Director of Horsemanship Operations at Culver Academies. "The morning of the parade, we have to have trailers loaded, and the kids on the buses, with all the staff, and be on the ready line by 8 o'clock, or they will bump us from the parade."
In the past, the Culver troop has appeared toward the back of the parade line-up. However, with former Indiana Governor Mike Pence being inaugurated as Vice President, Hoosier groups have been bumped up to the top 10 to 15 places on the route.
"It was tough, I have to say. It's been a long ride, and the horses have gotten better, but we are still working out the kinks," Kim said. "The big thing is exposure so we have a big fan, that we use to blow plastic bags and pieces of paper, towards the horses so that they don't get scared when the day actually comes. We have a great speaker system in the riding hall as well, and we blast really loud music just to make sure that they are not freaking out."
"There were some interesting reactions from the horses when we introduced things like plastic bags, or newspaper or the fan and loud noises, but after a while the horses have just become desensitized to it and hopefully should be amazing for our inaugural," Kanach said.
Training the horses is just part of the job. The horses need background checks, blood tests, health papers even certain types of shoes for the pavement in Washington D.C. The school had to send in 300 pages of paperwork just for the horses.
Black horse troopers will carry American flags during the ride.
"We'll spend some time preparing and we'll make sure that our uniforms are looking at their best, make sure our boots are shined and we'll basically go over our preparations for the parade," Jin said. “I look forward to representing Culver, letting people know that we are here, and we have pride for what we do and we take it seriously.”
During the parade, the Culver troop will appear in between the IMPD Motorcycle Drill Team and the Columbus North High School Band. You can watch them all in the first half of the parade.
For more information about Culver’s role in the parade and to follow their journey, click here.
