SYRACUSE – Syracuse resident Claire Haldewang will ride a horse in the Presidential Inaugural Parade this month. The parade is Jan. 21 in Washington, D.C., and will air on C-SPAN at 2:30 p.m. Haldewang. 15, a sophomore at Culver Academy, will ride the horse as a member of the Culver Girls Academy Equestriennes. Haldewang is the daughter of Bill and Carol Haldewang, Syracuse. The 24-member girls mounted unit will ride with 58 members of the Culver Military Academy Black Horse Troop. This will be the 16th inaugural parade for the Black Horse Troop and the seventh for the Equestriennes. The inaugural parade marks the 100th anniversary of the Black Horse Troop’s first ride down Pennsylvania Avenue. The mounted unit served as the official escort for Vice President Thomas Marshall during Woodrow Wilson’s inaugural parades in 1913 and 1917. Marshall was the former governor of Indiana. During a telephone interview this morning, Haldewang’s mother, Carol, said she is excited for her daughter to be in the parade. She said her daughter has been riding horses since she was in the seventh grade. “I’m so excited for her and she is getting more excited as the time draws near for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Carol said. Carol also said her daughter has been practicing for the parade with the Culver Academy Band to make sure the horses are comfortable with the musical noise in time for the parade. Her mother said in June her daughter will sing with the Culver Academy Boys and Girls Choir at the Vatican in Rome. More details about Culver’s inaugural activities are available at culver.org/parade
