Spokane Sector agents practice in front of the Chicago city skyline before the downtown parade. Photo by Agent Danielle Suarez.

BY KIM FRLAN
S-E Staff Reporter

Sometimes work assignments can be fun – even for Border Patrol agents.  This month seven agents from the Spokane Sector – an area covering the Cascades to the Rockies – hauled eight of their Mustang patrol horses to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Chicago.
Colville-based agents Gary Roman and Joe McCraw and Metaline Falls agent Bill Borches were among the lucky ones chosen to represent the Noble Mustang program of the Border Patrol in the parade.  
This recent program is in collaboration with the Bureau of Land Management.  Wild mustangs from Colorado are captured, gentled, and trained to carry Border Patrol agents through the rugged terrain of the Pasayten Wilderness, Glacier National Park, and U.S. Forest Service habitat where motorized vehicles are prohibited.
“The horses travel quieter and cover more distance in a shift than you could on foot,” Agent Borches said.
“They’re made for this country.  They have no problems going up and down hills in deep snow.  I’m very impressed with them,” added Agent Roman.
“They don’t trip or stumble like horses that are used to open fields.  They’re more sure-footed,” said Patrol Agent-in-Charge Carl Ecklund.
Once they got the assignment, the local agents began preparing their horses to deal with the sights and sounds of a city parade.  They rode them up and down the streets of Colville, took them up close to Barman’s (the nearest thing to a Chicago skyscraper they could find) and ran them through obstacle courses with flags, balloons, running tractors, ATV’s, pallets, downed fences and six-foot diameter beach balls.  They even shot off pistols and blew sirens near the horses, trying to prepare for every possible city scenario.
The five-day trip to Chicago went smoothly.  The weather was good, and the horses endured the long ride without incident. 

Local Border Patrol agents on horseback were well-received by the crowds during the St. Patrick’s Day parade.  Photo by Agent Danielle Suarez.
 

Agents Joe McCraw, Gary Roman, and Bill Borches in front of the trailer they took with them to Chicago.

When the agents arrived in Chicago, they had several more days to prepare the horses for the parade setting.  They were able to ride around downtown with Chicago’s mounted police patrol, and even hosted a pipe and drum corps practice near the horses.
“It was crowded in Chicago,” Agent Borches said.  “The streets are small.  But it was a clean, nice place.”
“The hotel where we stayed was built in 1926.  It was right near Lake Michigan,” said Agent McCraw.  “I asked the Chief, ‘Are we getting paid for this?’”
When the day of the parade finally arrived, it was cold and windy.
“We were entry number 149, towards the end of the parade.  We had a 4-5 hour wait, and with the wind chill factor, it was in the 20’s,” Agent Roman said.

  “We were well-received by the crowds when we finally got moving down the stretch,” Agent Roman said.  “The parade was three Chicago city blocks long, and there were lots of people in the crowd.”
Patrol Agent-in-Charge Ecklund watched the parade on the WGN Superchannel at home.  It was televised for two hours, but the broadcast ended before his agents passed by.  He did get to see the traditional “greening of the river,” though.  Every year a Chicagoan is given the honor of dumping green dye in the river downtown just before the parade begins.
The river wasn’t the only thing dyed green that day.  The agents also spotted poodles dyed green.
“I think everybody turns Irish on St. Paddy’s Day,” said Agent Roman.
Following all the festivities, the agents and their horses turned around and headed back to Washington State.  The trip home wasn’t so smooth, though.  
“One horse had a respiratory attack coming back,” said Agent McCraw.  “They were in heated stables, and had a change in feed.  They’re used to being outside all the time, so all the changes got to him.  He’s fine now though – we’ve had him on antibiotics.”
“It was a smooth trip until we hit snow on Lookout Pass and Fourth of July Pass coming back,” said Agent Borches.
Once the long haul back to Colville was finally over, the agents got three days off to be with their families.  Monday morning, they were hard at work unloading the trailers, cleaning all the tack, stowing gear, and getting everything reorganized.
This spring and summer, the Border Patrol mounted unit will be making appearances in the Lilac Parade in Spokane, the rodeo and fair parades in Colville, and parades in Kettle Falls, Northport, and Marcus.  These parades should seem effortless compared to the long trip and all the preparations for the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Chicago.