With the National Cavalry Competition drawing near, Soldiers with the 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment are preparing more than ever to compete against some of the best riders in the Army.
The annual competition is hosted by the U.S. Cavalry Association and aims to preserve U.S. cavalry history and traditions.
In addition to winning the team competition last year, many of the Soldiers from the Horse Cav. Det. performed and stood out amongst the others.
“Last year, for lack of a better word, I was petrified,” said Sgt. Dominique Greeley, a health care specialist with the Horse Cav. Det. “I was pretty new to the unit, and I was worried I wasn’t going to live up to the 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment hype.”
Greeley, who competed last year, took first place in several events: military horsemanship, jumping and pistols.
Although she was successful, Greeley tackled an unexpected complication before the competition.
“There are a lot of horses in the detachment, but who we ride changes up a lot depending on your ability, the horse’s needs and their exercise requirements,” she said. “I had been riding one horse named Snap-Up until the week before Cavalry Cup, and then I placed into level two, and placed me with a different horse named NYC and I was floored.”
However, with the guidance of her fellow Soldiers and leadership, Greeley overcame her apprehensions and surpassed her expectations for the competition.
“NYC ended up blowing my expectations out of the water and I felt silly for ever having doubted him,” Greeley said.
Competitors at the National Cavalry Competition compete at either level one, two or three, depending on their abilities.
Last year, Greeley competed at level two, but this year she will perform at level three.
“I’m excited this time because I kind of know what to expect,” she said. “We’ve done some train-up on it, and we’re trying to get better at the individual events because it’s about precision. I know that I need to work more on things I faltered on last year.”
For some riders from the detachment, however, this will be their first time riding in the competition.
“I am really excited, because last year I did get to go, but I was on the ground crew so I didn’t get to participate in riding at all,” said Spc. Benjamin Wurtz, a small arms artillery repairman with the detachment. “It has given me a better perspective on what to look forward to this year because I helped set up this massive event throughout the competition.”
Having participated in the competition in a different capacity, Wurtz said it helped him better prepare for this year’s competition.
“Being able to compete as a rider is on a whole different level,” Wurtz said. “Ever since we returned from the competition last year, I’ve been riding and preparing for this National Cavalry Competition because this is by far the biggest event we do. I think every rider here in their heart knows that this is what matters.”
With all the preparation and advice from those his fellow Soldiers and mentor, Wurtz said the best advice came from the detachment’s military trainer, Staff Sgt. Jason Bishop.
“Ride your horse, because horses, just like people have good and bad days,” he said. “Your horse might have a good day and you might have a bad day or vice-versa, so all you can do is ride your horse.”
| Date Taken: | 09.20.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 09.20.2016 09:25 |
| Story ID: | 210071 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 30 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Horse Cavalry Detachment Trains for National Competition, by SGT Marcus Floyd, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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