CULVER - Tayler Ferguson, a high school junior at Culver Academies, will be among the equestrians riding in the Obama Presidential Inaugural Parade Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C.
She is the daughter of Kevin and Tracy Ferguson, Warsaw, and the granddaughter of Rick and Pam Dixon, Warsaw.
Ferguson is a member of the Culver Girls Academy Equestriennes. The Equestriennes, an honor mounted drill team unit, perform a choreographed, musical drill ride on horseback.To qualify for membership in the Equestriennes, girls must maintain good academic standing, satisfactory citizenship and display proficiency in equitation with intermediate and advanced riding skills.
With more than 1,300 organizations applying for participation in the parade, Culver Academies is one of only 49 invited. Culver plans to take 100 riders with their horses to the parade. The Equestriennes and Troopers represent 19 states and 11 countries.
Culver's participation is a tradition dating back more than 90 years to Woodrow Wilson's inaugurals in 1913 and 1917. In both, Culver's Black Horse Troop served as the personal escort to former Indiana Governor and then Vice President Thomas Marshall.
The Black Horse Troop made its third appearance during President Dwight D. Eisenhower's second inaugural in 1957, and then participated in every inaugural parade through 1989. It returned to the parade in 1997.
The Culver Girls Academy Equestriennes first participated with the Black Horse Troop at Ronald Reagan's second Inaugural in 1985.
In addition to being a member of the Equestriennes, Ferguson also participates in Culver's fine arts programs as a member of the school's Fine Arts Honor Society. She plays piano, clarinet and violin. She is a member of Amnesty International, Leadership Committee for Africa and Culver's Admissions organization. She helps in the organization of Culver's student-run newspaper and in Culver's Relay for Life. Ferguson also has been awarded Gold A's each semester, the school's highest academic award.
Located 100 miles southeast of Chicago and 100 miles north of Indianapolis on Lake Maxinkuckee, Culver is a boarding school offering a college-preparatory curriculum for boys and girls in grades 9-12.
Culver's mission is to educate its students for leadership and responsible citizenship by developing and nurturing the whole individual, mind, spirit and body through an integrated curriculum that emphasize the cultivation of character.
