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    Horse Detachment keeps horse-mounted Soldier tradition alive

    Horse Detachment Keeps Horse-mounted Soldier Tradition Alive

    Photo By Giancarlo Casem | Soldiers from the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment's Horse Detachment prepare to form up...... read more read more

    UNITED STATES

    04.13.2009

    Story by Sgt. Giancarlo Casem 

    11th Armored Cavalry Regiment

    Nearly 100 years after the last cavalry charge on North American soil, the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment's Horse Detachment keeps the mounted Soldiers' tradition alive at Fort Irwin, Calif.

    Amid the rolling hills of the high Mojave Desert, the legend of the cavalryman still lives. It is here that he still grooms and takes care of his steed. He wakes up in the morning to clean his horse's stable and feeds it. At midday, he practices riding skills with his horse. At sundown, before he turns in for the day, he takes care of his horse, getting it ready for the next day.

    "Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think of this," said Capt. Scott Cummings, the Horse Detachment commander. "A year and a half year ago, when I came here, I'd seen the Horse Detachment, but I never even thought about it, but now, I think this is absolutely the best job in the Army."

    The 11th ACR conducts a unique mission, it serves as the oppositional force, or OPFOR, and as civilians on the battlefield for rotational units, RTUs, training at the National Training Center. The Blackhorse Regiment trains one brigade-size element at time in the harsh climate of the Mojave Desert. The Horse Detachment assists the Regiment and the NTC by providing livestock to its training environments, Cummings said, adding a heightened level of realism.

    "That's the unglamorous part of the job," said the Afton, Wyo., native. During rotations, the Horse Detachment brings its collection of livestock out to the "box." The box is where RTUs live and train for 14 days. While in the box, RTUs conduct training missions specific to the area of operation in which they will deploy.

    Another mission that the Detachment provides is to serve as a veritable link to the Regiment's past. The Detachment may be called upon to perform as a mounted color guard in ceremonies, or even participate in unit runs while mounted on their horses.

    "We have a different mission; we're still here to support and help. We still have to maintain our Soldier skills, but the bulk of our training is out on horses doing the fun stuff," Cummings said. "We go to a lot of events. We are out and in the public eye; we keep the tradition of the Cavalry alive. We perform in ceremonies and parades."

    The Horse Detachment performs in Rodeos and other public events in conjunction with Army recruiters. The meet and interact with civilians which are often shocked to find out that they are Soldiers.

    "A lot of people will ask, 'You're in the Army?'" he said. "It's wonderful, and it's been great, that's what I tell everybody. I have the best job in the Army. For the Soldiers who grew up around horses, it is a bonus for them. Who would have thought the Army would pay me ride horses, wear jeans, go on trips, do rodeos and brag about the Army?"

    This level of public exposure also means that the Horse Detachment must remain, at all times professional, exude the Army Values, and look their best. It helps that when they perform at public events, they get to wear classic 1901 tan Cavalry uniforms.

    "We have the old Cavalry uniforms that we wear during our shows, and we also have the rifles and black powder pistols, that they used," said Staff Sgt. James Davis, the Horse Detachment Stable Forman and a native of Boone County, Ky. "The tricks that we do, like cutting a watermelon and shooting on horseback, were actually training drills that they used to do."

    To be a member of the Detachment, Soldiers are hand-selected or may volunteer. However, they must undergo an extensive process to be finally admitted to the unit.
    "It is a prestige thing. We're supposed to have the cream of the crop up here," Cummings said. "We're out there representing the Regiment, we're representing the Army, and we represent the Horse Detachment. So, we need to be able to act decent."
    He also said that if Soldiers are recognized as good Soldiers, then their chain of command may recommend them to be sent to the unit.

    "If they see that you're a good Soldier, they'll work with you to get you up here," he said. "It is a great opportunity and they'll let you go."

    After a Soldier is identified, he attends a one on one interview with the Regimental Support Squadron command sergeant major. The RSS serves as the Detachment's parent squadron. The Soldier must also be interviewed by the Detachment commander, first sergeant and stable foreman. He then must go through a 30-day trial period with the Detachment. Experience with horses is not a requirement to be a member of the unit, but it does help, Cummings said.

    "It does help out, but it's not a requirement. Even myself, my friends had farms and ranches, so I worked around horses. I knew about them, but I didn't know much about the medical terminology or the anatomy of a horse so I didn't know much," Cummings said. "We do have Soldiers up here that do have experience. If you know how to ride, that is great, we are still going to put you through the 30-day trial, and we are still going to teach you. In fact, some of our best riders have never ridden a horse before, because they don't know any other way, they pick up really quick."

    He added, "The biggest thing we're looking for is 'are you going to be honest and work hard?' If you want to work up here and say, 'I don't know anything about horses, but I want to learn and I'll work hard,' then we'll work with you."

    Importantly, being member of the Horse Detachment also improves Soldiers all around, Davis said. With a strong emphasis on tradition, Soldiers become more engrossed into the Cavalry lifestyle. As part of their training regimen, Soldiers learn about the history of the Cavalry. They learn the significance of the Cavalry sabers and their classic uniforms. During public events, they become representatives for the Army. The Soldiers learn that what they do and say may represent the Army as a whole.

    "It benefits the Soldiers a lot, it totally changes them," he said. "They become leaders, they learn different skills and leadership and responsibility. You have to have people that are fully capable to represent the Army and the Regiment.

    The Horse Detachment's Horses, like its Soldiers, come from a multitude of backgrounds. Of the detachment's 14 horses, racehorse owners donated most.
    "Most of them come from the track, they were donated," Cummings said. "Some of them were rescued, which means they were in a bad situation; they got beat or malnourished. We're working with RSS to actually develop a program where we can purchase horses so we can get the horses that we need to accomplish our mission here and to better serve in the rotations."

    He explained that since most of their horses are bred for racing, it posed limitations to what they can do.

    "We have a lot of thoroughbred horses and they are pretty high maintenance, pretty high spirited and kind of fragile," Cummings said. "We do take them out there [to the box] and they do fine, but we can't do as much. We're trying to get more of the ranch-type horses that will meet the needs of both of the missions that we have."

    Even though the cavalryman has evolved to what he is today, riding in on an M1A1 Abrams battle tank, or firing from above in an AH64 Apache attack helicopter. The image of the horse-mounted Soldier is still relevant today.

    "As go to different parts of the world and different terrain, we're finding out that sometimes you still need the horses," Cummings said. "Not only do we need to remember traditions. Not only does it look cool or neat to see Soldiers charge and cut melons. We have units now that are deploying and actually have to deal with horses. They have to learn to ride it, to pack it, to take care of it. They have to learn how insurgents use them, where they can be hiding or smuggling weapons. Sometimes the horse is best suited for certain terrains, history repeats itself, its good to always remember history and it is also applicable for us to use."

    For an experienced horse-rider like Davis, he takes pride in his effort to keep the Cavalry tradition alive.

    "I grew up around horses my whole life. My experiences have been around racehorses. I have worked on farms. Its great, people don't expect me being in the Army and to be working with horses," Davis said. "With the Cavalry tradition, it is important to pass on the heritage of the past to Soldiers now. It is rewarding to get Soldiers who have never ridden horses before and in 6 months have those riding horses."

    Davis, who is an infantryman by trade, said that his time in the Regiment has changed him. As prepares to leave the Detachment, he said that when he gets to his next unit, he would have great things to say about his time with the Blackhorse.

    "I'm an infantryman, I was never into the Cav thing, when I was deployed, I would see these Cav guys with their Stetsons and spurs and I didn't understand it," he said. "Now, I understand. I am proud to wear the hat and spurs. When I get to my next unit, I am going to tell the stories of what I did while I was in the Cavalry. It's the best thing I've ever done in my life."

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 04.13.2009
    Date Posted: 04.13.2009 13:44
    Story ID: 32344
    Location: US

    Web Views: 497
    Downloads: 412

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