MARTINSVILLE, Ind. — In 2004, Dr. Jane Howard decided something was missing in her life. As a cardiologist with St. Vincent Hospital’s Care Group for 30 years, she had fulfilled her life’s goal; her knowledge and care had nurtured many people to healthier lives.

But something inside her – “the inner child,” as many call it – longed for a different nurturing, like what she felt as she rode her Morgan horse on her Dawgwash Farms in rural Martinsville. Her daughters used to ride with her, but now they were grown, and her husband did not ride, so the solitary rides were lonely and far between.

Looking through some ads one day, she saw one stating: Custom chaps and vests. She did not show her horses or ride in parades, but decided to make the trip to Greencastle, Ind., to check it out. “Beautiful, pastel, feminine chaps, vests and slinkies is what she was doing,” Howard said of Terri Cross, creator of the riding apparel. “She mentioned that she and the kids occasionally rode parades, and something clicked in my head.”

As a child, Howard loved watching the Shrine Patrol in parades and dreamed of riding in formation herself. But her dad sold her palomino and that dream died. She thought maybe she could ride with Cross and her family in some parades.

“Make me a pair of purple chaps,” Howard told Cross, on a whim. On the way home, a thought kept turning in Howard’s mind: Purple chaps, purple chaps … Red hats. She started talking to friends with horses, put up signs in tack and feed stores and the “Red Hats and Purple Chaps” (RHPC) chapter of the Red Hat Society was born. Though hobby groups for Red Hatters is not unusual, Howard believes they were the first chapter in the country of actively riding members of the over-50 women’s social organization. Three years later, membership is just under 200, with members all over Indiana, plus several from Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Nevada and New Hampshire.

Members include all horse lovers, even those with mules, ponies or miniature horses. Activities include clinics, parades, drill team and flag team appearances (including the Kentucky Horse Park and Indiana Downs) and trail rides.

“We have more requests for us to appear than we can fulfill, so we have to ‘triage’ those invitations,” the cardiologist said of prioritizing the requests.

Members 50 years of age or older wear the traditional red hats and purple chaps, while under-50 members wear pink and lavender. Members range in age from 10 up to 77, and include several sets of mothers, daughters and sisters – and at least one family with three generations.

The most popular activity has been the clinics held throughout the year, Howard said, and described them as “haunted houses” for horses. The object is to prepare the horses for any sound or movement that might occur during a parade.

“Anything we can think of that has scared our horses, we use until they are no longer scared of that object or movement,” said clinic organizer Karen Humphreys of Danville, Ind.

At the last clinic, she took some Halloween props, such as a laughing skull and a spooky dancing chicken. Horses have also listened to CDs with guns, music and roaring trucks and been exposed to objects such as umbrellas, dogs, bags, tarps and bubbles. Humphreys also plans horsemanship clinics on techniques, trail safety and riding “boot to boot” in formation.

“Our horses have been so well behaved in the parades, and I know it is from all the hard work we have done to make them trained and used to scary objects that might come up,” she said.

The women take time to relax during camping and trail rides, which includes a jamboree in southern Illinois and the Connemarra trail ride in Ireland next year. In the 2007 directory of the RHPC – aka “The Galloping Grannies” – the group describe themselves as “once again little girls on our favorite ‘ponies,’ laughing, loving and having adventures together as only women, especially mature women, can.”

Tina Nunez of Franklin remembers begging her father for a horse when she was seven years old. He finally bought her a Shetland pony and, later, a bigger horse. But at 16, she said, interest in the “two-legged geldings” took over. She later married and lived in the suburbs for several years, but as soon as her husband agreed to moving to the country, she was looking for a horse that would be challenging for her, as well as safe for her young daughters, on which to learn.

Nunez discovered the RHPC chapter with her friend, Teri Rypel, and became a “pink hatter.” Daughter Camri is now 15 and helps get the horses ready for parades, adding red and purple ribbons in manes, tying on scarves and getting down on the ground to polish hooves.

Part of the parade shenanigans is the “Smootmobile,” which leads the horse formation. Named for member Arlene Smoot, the truck plays music, such as Shania Twain’s “Man, I Feel Like a Woman,” Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and “Happy Trails.” Another tradition began when the group looked for an alternative to throwing candy in parades. One member suggested that members donate red silk or plastic roses to hand out to ladies along the parade route.

Nunez said the camaraderie of the women is memorable.

“Lots of women out there have loved horses all their lives and many just got their first horse in their forties or fifties,” she said, “and those women who have ridden all of their lives, their knowledge is just unbelievable.”

Howard is exuberant about what has happened since she first bought her purple chaps.

“We’ve gone from a ragtag group at the first clinic … to a disciplined group of savvy trail riders and paraders, teaching others and becoming younger each day,” she said. “We are in better shape that we have been in years, and our horses are in better shape, learning new skills and also teaching their strength and poise to the newcomers. It’s been quite a ride, literally and figuratively.”

For more information on booking parades or to become a member, visit www.redhatsandpurplechaps.com or contact Jane Howard by e-mail at springjane@msn.com or by phone at 765-528-2528.