Ada Gates Celebrates Women’s History Month at Pasadena Senior Center

As the Official Horse Inspector, Ada Gates Patton checks the shoes of all the horses walking in the Rose Parade (Photo – Cheryl Cabot)

Ada Gates, the first woman in the United States to be licensed as a certified journeyman farrier, will present her fascinating history at the Pasadena Senior Center to celebrate Women’s History Month.

Prepared by Katlyn Ong

With a family tree that features Fricks and Vanderbilts, Gates grew up riding horses at her family’s estate in New York and attending prestigious boarding schools. During her teenaged and young adult years she was a debutante, model, and actress who enjoyed the finest things in life. By the 1980s, she was recognized as one of the top racehorse farriers — a craftsmen who trims and shoes horses’ hooves — in the U.S. and Canada, shoeing every legendary horse that ever entered the paddock at Santa Anita.

She has also been a long-time farrier to the Pasadena Tournament of Roses parade, responsible for ensuring that all horses are shod correctly — with traction on their shoes — to prevent slippage on the pavement. In addition, she served as the farrier liaison for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

> The presentation, a Cultural Thursday event, is free for PSC members and $5 for nonmembers. To register visit this website or call 626-795-4331.