Honoring The Horse Guard In Photos

By Kendra Bobowick

Photographs of horses prancing, grazing, and marching in a row — all images of The Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard — currently line the walls of Newtown Municipal Center.

“I realized I couldn’t just choose 14 or so,” photographer Marleen Cafarelli said of her collection on Sunday, April 3, during an opening reception for the exhibition that is on view at the town-owned building for much of the month.

Roughly 450 photos of different horse guard events comprised a video slideshow on display Sunday. Along the main hallway of the municipal center were panoramic and sepia still photos, capturing the majestic barn and hillside off Trades Lane with horses and Second Company volunteers mounted and poised.

Ms Cafarelli hung other selected photographs capturing the horses and volunteer guard members at work in parades and at different statewide events.

“I wanted to show how dedicated they are,” said the Newtown resident. “I wanted to show how much they do.” Although she had prepared for the show, she was not ready for the official honor she received.

“They made me cry!” Ms Cafarelli said, while speaking briefly with Town Clerk Debbie Aurelia and Commandant Major Gordon Johnson. She had received an official state citation for her “unwavering” dedication, photography, and “invaluable work” for both the horse guard and the state.

“I didn’t expect that” she said.

“I try,” Major Johnson added. “We work hard at what we do.”

Horse guard members Kim Abate and Jose Rosa were among the crowd viewing Ms Cafarelli’s Photo Art Works images, some of which will find a permanent home at Newtown Municipal Center, said First Selectman Pat Llodra. Noting the “iconic horse guard images,” she said, “We’ll line the walls in the hall.”

For several months Ms Cafarelli has been an honorary member of the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard for her work that started with supporter Ken Fay’s public relations efforts.

“He is a sweet-talking devil,” she laughed. Making it “sound exciting” to shoot parades and other events, she soon found herself at “nearly all events.”

What’s Next For The Horse Guard?

Recent months have found potential state budget cuts that could jeopardize the horse guard’s funding. The Second Company in Newtown could either be merged with the First Company Governor’s Horse Guard in Avon, or eliminated. Local legislators, officials, and volunteers are working for solutions to preserve the more than 200-year-old institution.

“The horse guard is worth saving,” Major Johnson said Sunday afternoon.

Last week State Representative DebraLee Hovey, a horse guard supporter, participated in meetings in Hartford regarding “creative solutions,” she said. Representative Christopher Lyddy has also had a strong voice in the guard’s support.

After speaking last week with Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman, Rep Hovey noted that an informational PowerPoint packet would address what Rep Hovey feels are Governor Dannel Malloy’s misperceptions.

“A good example? He thought we bought the horses,” noted the state rep. The horses are donated.

Rep Hovey then wondered if the governor “might not understand the quantity of time donated to the horse guard and the money saved by the volunteer services provided to our state based on volunteers.”

She hopes to meet with the governor as soon as possible.

Making another argument for the guard, she said, “No other entity that saw budget reductions to them has stepped up like the horse guard.”

Regarding the Second Company’s future, which she called part of the town’s “living history,” Rep Hovey said, “I think we have a strong position. People have shown support.”