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WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: LEGENDARY FARRIER ADA GATES WILL DISCUSS HER LIFE MARCH 28 AT PASADENA SENIOR CENTER

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 Cultural Thursdays, to celebrate Women’s History Month Thursday, March 28, at 2 p.m.

With a family tree that features Fricks and Vanderbilts, Gates’s 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 www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org then click on Activities & Events or call 626-795-4331.

The Pasadena Senior Center’s mission is to improve the lives of older adults through caring service with opportunities for social interaction, fitness programs, basic support and needs services, education, volunteerism and community activism. With 10,000 Americans per day becoming older adults, the center is a leader in addressing the issues of aging and provides innovative, cutting-edge, nationally recognized programs for this population group.

As a donor-supported nonprofit, the center operates without any local, state or federal funding and provides more services to older adults in the San Gabriel Valley than any other organization. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. To learn more, visit pasadenaseniorcenter.org or call 626-795-4331. The Center is located at 85 E. Holly Street in Pasadena.