Fort Worth Stock Show parade clops off Saturday sans Confederate battle flag

When folks get excited about wagon wheels and horseshoes, say organizers of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo’s perennially horse-powered parade, there isn’t much interest in hoverboards or cutting-edge special effects.

The Stock Show’s All Western Parade is the world’s largest nonmotorized parade, and come Saturday morning, thousands of people will line downtown streets to watch. One thing they won’t see: the Confederate battle flag, which the Sons of Confederate Veterans’ mounted unit has been told not to display. Instead, its riders will carry the first national flag of the Confederate States of America — not only in the parade but also in the rodeo grand entry.

The more familiar red-and-blue Confederate battle flag has fallen out of favor nationwide, as many people and organizations associate it with racism and violence.

“We’re going to be there in the parade; we’re going to abide by the rules of the parade,” said Gary Bray of Forney, head of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. “We’re not a hate group. It’s only about history. We feel that people are trying to erase history.”

The group includes horse and carriage riders and walkers, all in period dress.

Bray said the group’s participation in the historic parade goes back long enough that Confederate veterans rode in it.

“We’re not the only people that are upset. There were thousands of Confederate soldiers from Texas, so there are millions of Confederate grandkids,” Bray said.

“We don’t feel that all this was necessary.”

Meanwhile, organizers said Friday morning that the weather outlook for Saturday was “typical Stock Show,” with chilly temperatures, overcast skies but no rain expected.

“It’s hard for us to talk about what’s new, because of the way we structure the parade,” said Philip Schutts, chairman of the parade committee. “There’s a new stagecoach coming from Missouri that is supposed to be just gorgeous.”

“We have over 200 entries from all over Texas and the nation. It amazes me every year that it comes together like it does,” Schutts said. “We’re always proud.”

As always, the Stock Show & Rodeo Parade will begin with the Fort Worth Mounted Patrol, followed by the Texas Christian University band.

“This year we will have the State Band of Zacatecas, Mexico, in the parade. There is a large community of people from Zacatecas in the Fort Worth area.”

Bands from Fort Worth schools will furnish music throughout the parade, interspersed with the riders and wagons.

The horses on parade “pretty well cover the gamut,” Schutts said. Most represented are the American quarter horses and the paints, though parade watchers might not be familiar with the Galiceno breed. These small, solid-colored horses about the size of a large pony are described by Fort Worth’s equine expert Pam Minick as having “quite an animated gait.”

Wagons will be pulled by various breeds of ever-popular draft horses. This year, Schutts said, a team of miniature horses will be pulling one.

The parade itself will run about two hours, from its starting point at the Tarrant County Courthouse. It will take a southward turn on Main Street, proceed through the middle of Sundance Plaza to Ninth Street, turn west to Houston Street, then head north back to the courthouse.

Paid reserved seating is available with advance reservations, though Schutts said that, as of Friday morning, few seats were left.

“Every year we add more bleachers,” he said. “It’s been a popular addition.”

This story was originally published January 15, 2016 at 1:53 PM with the headline "Fort Worth Stock Show parade clops off Saturday sans Confederate battle flag."