Rodeo Style: Giddy up in Lakeside

Upon parking my car in Lakeside to attend their annual Western Days Parade, the first sight I saw were three individuals going through the Burger King Drive through on horseback.

The parade began at 9am and opened with the Star-Spangled Banner. The two older ladies standing next to me got teary-eyed while singing along. Afterward the one with reddish-hair mentioned how glad she was that one of the Boston bombers had been captured alive. The other lady nodded her head and complained about the way the media was covering the story. The red-head agreed and added, ‘I’ve been watching Fox news. All the other news outlets fabricate.”

Ten minutes later, when the Rainbow Riders galloped down Main Avenue, a hush fell over the crowd. Little kids sat with their mouths hanging open as the women and horses, dressed in red white and blue, did windmill formations in the middle of the street.

When a group of Border Patrol agents ambled past on horseback the crowd erupted into applause. Not every neighborhood in San Diego would have a similar reaction to the uniformed men.

Miss Rodeo Lakeside, Mariah Hunt, Jr. Miss Rodeo Lakeside; Brittney Philips, and Miss Rodeo Lakeside 2012, Faye Garber made an impression on a little girl in a pink cowboy hat sitting to my left.

"When I grow up, I'm going to be one of them," the little girl told her dad.