Hot Springs horseback caroling

Christmas carolers this time of year can be a common sight, but seeing them on horseback can be a little unusual, unless they're in Hot Springs, where nearly 20 riders roamed the streets for the third year to sing holiday songs.

Martha Vogel, chief coordinator of the event, was glad the temperature hadn't dropped to below zero, like it did two years ago, the last time the group put on the horseback caroling event. Vogel was one of 17 riders from Hot Springs, Lonepine, Camas Prairie, and Paradise to take part in the event, which went just over an hour.

The carolers, which included five children and only one man — Dennis Burt — traveled 30 blocks to spread Christmas cheer to the Hot Springs residents. Brenna Schaible, 19, and Paulo Colombo, 18, a foreign exchange student from Brazil, and 12-year-old Teagan Indreland and her brother Garrett, 7, rode double through the streets. Kristina Bouquet of Hot Springs led the Indreland siblings on "Tauquass." Schaible said she used to participate in the Hot Springs Wranglers 4-H Club caroling. During that time, she rode on a wagon, which was drawn by her pony.

Burt and his wife Cheryl, atop "Bailey" and "Whisper," of Paradise rode with the group for the first time. Vogel said they had a dozen riders the first year they put it on.

Julie Lazaro, a Lonepine resident and one of the organizers of the event the last time, said the warmer temperatures, which hovered around 33 degrees, made it a lot more fun and comfortable. Fifteen-year-old Elsa Schmiedbauer, riding "Beau" this year, was also happy that it wasn't too cold. Schmiedbauer was so bundled up for the event two years ago, all that was visible then were her eyes. Ten-year-old Megan Holeman of Hot Springs and 11-year-old Sadee Miller, took part for the first time. Two dogs also joined the carolers.

Camas Prairie resident Jean Nemeth's harmonica froze up after only one song in the last ride. Nemeth, a Plains Elementary School teacher, once again rode "Hummer," who was decorated with reindeer antlers. Cheryl Burt also put antlers on her horse, "Whisper." Several other members gave their animals a festive look.

Most of the participants heard about the horseback caroling by word of mouth, although Vogel said they took out an ad in the Baldy Press, a Hot Springs weekly newspaper.

The group made stops at the Evergreen Hot Springs Health and Rehabilitation Center and the Symes Hot Springs Hotel. The carolers also made a special stop at the Montana Bar on Main Street, where they left open the front door to hear the singers. The carolers sang more than a dozen songs — some of them a couple of times. The riders made their way all the way around the nursing home so that residents could go to their windows to hear the carols, although Vogel said she wasn't sure how much the senior citizens could hear. "They knew we were singing, and even if they couldn't hear us, they loved the horses," said Vogel, who made the trip aboard "Brandywine" and carried a sign that read "Noel" on one side and "Jesus, the King of Glory" on the other. Vogel said Jesus is the true meaning of Christmas.

However, they also sang a few non-religious songs, such as "Jingle Bells" and "Frosty, the Snowman."

Vogel believes people enjoyed the caroling. "We received some awesome feedback last time," said Vogel, who plans to do it again next year. She was a little worried about the weather. "Last time we froze half to death," said Vogel.

She said they were also a little concerned about the slick roads for the horses, although none had problems. Dwight Miller of Hot Springs drove a pickup a short distance behind the carolers in case any of the riders had problems. "He was our safety tech," said Vogel. On one steep road, the group veered onto a lawn so the horses could avoid the icy road.

People came out of their houses as the horseback carolers passed. Some people stopped their cars and shot photos.