City’s Mardi Gras horse rider training moving to The Grounds on Saturday
Jan 8th, 2026
Posted in: Animal ServicesPress ReleaseMardi Gras
Mobile, Ala. — Due to the likelihood of heavy rain, the City of Mobile Animal Services Department is relocating its free Mardi Gras horse rider training to The Grounds on Saturday, Jan. 10.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in a covered facility at The Grounds, located at 1035 Cody Road N. An attached map shows the location of the training and parking on The Grounds’ campus.
The free training is intended for horse owners who plan to ride in 2026 Mardi Gras parades and have not completed a certified rider course within the past year. Under the rules for parades in Mobile, riders who own and regularly ride their horses are required to go through training only every three years.
Those who rent horses and do not ride regularly are required to undergo basic rider training annually, and that training is typically provided by the horse vendor working with each parading organization. For questions, email Animal Control Supervisor Michael Crabtree at michael.crabtree@cityofmobile.gov.
Saturday’s event will focus on rider training and will not include veterinary evaluations. Throughout the 2026 Carnival season, Animal Control officers will evaluate horses prior to each parade using nationally recognized health standards. This will help ensure that every horse is healthy enough to participate and that each rider is an appropriate weight for the animal they’re riding.
However, horse owners and vendors are still required to provide a current negative Coggins test with complete identifying information for each horse, including its veterinarian of record and recent photographs. Records can be submitted through Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in person at 855 Owens St. or via email to michael.crabtree@cityofmobile.gov. Participating horses must also be vaccinated for rabies, tetanus, equine encephalitis, West Nile virus, equine rhinopneumonitis and equine influenza.
Animal Services staff will continue to coordinate closely with parading organizations, stable owners and law enforcement to ensure all animals and riders meet safety requirements before and during each parade. Horses that do not meet policy standards may be removed from the route at any time.
To view the complete 2026 Horse Policy for Mardi Gras parades, visit the City of Mobile’s Mardi Gras Dashboard at www.cityofmobile.org/mardigras/.
