CAMARILLO : Famed White Horses in Parades Again

Camarillo’s official logo is Adolfo Camarillo, founder of the city, riding one of his own white horses, tipping his hat.

The image is seen on banks, telephone books, weather vanes and city cars and trucks.

“Adolfo Camarillo and his white horses have become synonymous with the city of Camarillo,” said Priscilla Stuart-Galgas, owner of two of the eight remaining horses.

And now the descendants of his white horses are appearing in parades again.

Adolfo began breeding the pure white Arabian-Morgan horses and riding them in local parades in the 1930s. Since then, the horses have appeared in events from the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena to Ventura parades and the Santa Barbara Fiesta Days Parade.

But almost three years ago, the 60-year-old parading tradition, which created a page in most local history books for the animals and their riders, nearly ended.

The tradition was threatened when Carmen Camarillo Jones, the last surviving child of Adolfo and Isabella Camarillo, died in May, 1987.

Her will stipulated that the horses be sold at auction, and on Dec. 12, 1987, they were purchased by ranchers scattered all over the Southland.

“People that were raised here grew up with these horses. They saw them in all the local parades on holidays,” said Stuart-Galgas, who has worked to reunite the family breed.

After buying three horses at the auction, Stuart-Galgas contacted several of the new owners and persuaded them to join the Camarillo White Horse Equestrian Group.

On July 19, Stuart-Galgas received an invitation for the group, which includes six of the eight descendants of the Camarillo white horses, to ride in the 1991 New Year’s Rose Parade.

“We’re thrilled to be invited again. It’s everything we hoped for and more,” Stuart-Galgas said.

Choosing the group for the parade was not difficult, said Ron Oakum, chairman of the Rose Parade Equestrian Committee.

“The horses are the only white horses in the parade, and they are absolutely beautiful,” Oakum said.

After the horses were sold, no other members of the family stepped forth to continue the tradition, said Steve Petit, great-grandson of Adolfo Camarillo and the only family owner of one of the horses. “The torch was dropped and Priscilla picked it up,” he said.

That may be because some members of the Camarillo family feel the tradition should have died along with Carmen and that the group should not be using the Camarillo family name. They argue that this is a violation of her will.

The will stated that the horses should be sold. “From this and the comments that she made, it was her intent that the tradition of the Camarillo family white horse parading would come to an end,” said Paquita Parker, Carmen’s niece.

But Stuart-Galgas views this revival as “restoring a piece of Camarillo history that the founder had originated and giving something back to the community that was taken away,” she said.

“I would much rather see the horses parade than end up in some glue factory,” Petit said.