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| From left, Janet Stephenson, Tracy Fincher and Elizabeth Kroutil will ride in the 114th Annual Rose Parade on Jan. 1. |
The legacy of W.K. Kellogg?s passion for the Arabian horse will be seen by millions of viewers this New Year?s Day when an equestrian unit from Cal Poly Pomona?s W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center rides in the 2003 Rose Parade.
Nine current students and the director of the horse center will appear aboard 10 horses from the Kellogg Arabian Herd in the 114th Annual Rose Parade in Pasadena on Wednesday, Jan. 1, at 8 a.m. The unit is scheduled 93rd in the parade lineup.
Riders and horses include: Amanda Anderson, senior, animal science, equine industry, riding Sonoma Saphire; J. Elizabeth Kroutil, graduate student, education, riding Ama Fire; Janet Stephenson, senior, mathematics and fine art, riding Touch of Royalty; Janice Stegner, graduate student, agricultural business, riding Palantir Messiah; Amy Powell, senior, animal science, animal health, riding Fire Tu; Kelly Taylor, senior, psychology, riding CP Heatwave; Tracy Fincher, senior, animal science, equine industry, riding CP Starla; Krista Jimenez, senior, food marketing and agribusiness management, riding CP Princess; Amber Mitchell, senior, public relations, riding Al-Marahcymosmile; and director Bill Hughes riding Thunder Enchantress.
The Kellogg Arabian Herd was created in 1925 when cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg purchased 11 horses. That same year, Kellogg bought 377 acres on the western edge of the Pomona Valley to establish a ranch for his Arabians.
The horses made their initial Rose Parade appearance on Jan. 1, 1929. This year?s entry is the Kellogg Arabians? first since Jan. 1, 2000.
The 1949 agreement that led to establishing what is now Cal Poly Pomona included a charge to maintain the Arabian breed. Breeding Arabian horses for more than 75 years, the Kellogg Arabian Horse Center is the oldest active Arabian farm in the U.S. Nearly 80 percent of Arabian horses in North America today have bloodlines that trace back to the university?s herd.