First Team, First Place: Horse cavalry detachment repeats at national competition

Photo By Sgt. Marcus Floyd | Soldiers with the 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment take a group photo with their awards September 25, 2016 in El Reno, Oklahoma. The detachment won ribbons in more than 15 different events throughout the week-long competition. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Marcus Floyd, 13th Public Affairs Detachment)  

FORT HOOD, TX, UNITED STATES

09.29.2016

Story by Sgt. Marcus Floyd 

13th Public Affairs Detachment

FORT HOOD, Texas — For the second year in a row, the 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment won the General Casimir Pulaski Award at the 2016 National Cavalry Competition Sept. 24 in El Reno, Oklahoma.
The Pulaski Award is awarded to the outstanding military unit that best represents the highest standards of the U.S. Cavalry. The judging is based on scores, military conduct, bearing and good sportsmanship.
“It's a big deal,” said Capt. Jeremy Woodard, commander of the horse detachment. “To be able to take that back for the second year in a row and present the division with that streamer is an honor.”
In addition to winning the Pulaski award, the detachment won ribbons in more than 15 different events throughout the week-long competition.
“The competition was tough this year,” said Woodard. “There were a lot of units that improved a great deal. Out of the six mounted units and all of the re-enactors, there was solid competition across the board.”
The U.S. Cavalry Association sponsors the competition to promote good horsemanship and to provide an opportunity for re-enactors, active and reserve military mounted color guards, and mounted police officers to compete and improve their riding skills.
Individual riding events included mounted saber, mounted pistol, military horsemanship and military field jumping. There are three levels in each event. Level one is for beginners, level two for the intermediate riders and level three for advanced riders. Ribbons are awarded for each event and level.
“It's been a lot harder than last year,” said Sgt. Cassidy Snell, an infantryman with the horse detachment. “We trained back at Fort Hood, but there were still a couple of things they threw at us we weren't ready for, but we all kind of managed to overcome it.”
Looking back on the competition, Snell recalls moments he fell short of his expectations.
“There's a couple of things I beat myself up about, but it's about getting better,” he said. “Resiliency, that's something the Army teaches you. Get back on, keep trucking.”
With the help of his fellow Soldiers, however, he was able to move past his rocky start and win first place in the level-three mounted sabers event.
“I could have continued to be hard on myself and kept myself down, but a lot of my teammates helped pump me up for this event,” said Snell. “We do have a strong team. It's the best team.”
In addition to building camaraderie within the horse detachment, the competition allowed the detachment to interact with other mounted units throughout the Army.
Prior to the competition, the U.S. Cavalry Association host several events where the different units can share knowledge and resources.
“It's not the kind of competition where everyone is hoping the other person loses. People are helping you get better,” said Snell. “It feels like the army as a whole comes together and is a family here. Even though you have your different units with different rivalries, at the end of the day we're all still in the Army, and we all know what each other goes through.”

• Date Taken: 09.29.2016
• Date Posted: 09.29.2016 13:01
• Story ID: 210921
• Location: FORT HOOD, TX, US