Photo By Sgt. Richard Barnes | Spc. Taylor McDade presses a piping-hot horseshoe onto a horse's hoof Feb. 15 at the...... read more read more
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Steam filled the dry, sultry air, as a short, stocky young man, sporting fogged-up, gold-frame glasses, pressed a piping-hot shoe onto the horse’s hoof. Pressed for time, sweat dripping profusely from his brow, he immediately started to work on fitting the next shoe.
Spc. Taylor McDade, from Killeen, Texas, currently works at the farrier shop on Fort Hood. He is preparing the horses for a weekly riding demonstration that his unit hosts every Thursday at 10 a.m.
“Growing up in Killeen, I always knew I wanted to work hands-on with animals,” said McDade.
As McDade holds onto the horse’s halter, he can’t help but crack a smile at the thought of him working this closely with horses. According to McDade, he discovered the Horse Cavalry Detachment about a year ago and never looked back.
His lifelong dream of working with animals became a reality when McDade was officially assigned to the Horse Cavalry Detachment, proving that in the Army anything is possible.
“If I could stay here the rest of my Army career, I would. I love being in charge, everyone depending on me to get the job done,” said McDade.
“We’re the backbone of the Horse Cavalry Detachment,” said Spc. Victor Ocampo, another farrier at the detachment.
If the horses don’t have shoes or they’re not fitted right, then they’re out of the fight. At the Horse Cavalry Detachment, everyone depends on McDade and his fellow farriers to deliver.
Despite the pressure that comes with working in the farrier shop, McDade loves that he gets to do something so close to his heart. Before the Army, McDade grew up on a farm in Killeen, riding horses and chasing lizards around the yard. In his later years, he attended college for a degree in animal science and livestock reproduction, while also working at the town & country veterinary clinic in Killeen.
McDade was a veterinary tech assistant at the clinic. He prepared the tools, administered medicine, and even groomed the animals, said McDade.
Inside the farrier shop, while hitting a nail into the animal’s charred hoof, the horse starts to nudge McDade away with its enormous head. The horse backs away distrustfully. McDade does the same.
“I’ve been working with horses my whole life, so I can kind of tell when they need their space,” said McDade.
On a normal day, the farriers will look at their schedule and see what horses need to be worked on, said McDade. The farrier shop’s main goal is to finish however many horses are on schedule.
Every four to six weeks, the iron horseshoes put on by the farriers have to be replaced for the horse’s safety, said McDade. Horses are in constant rotation here.
“We try to finish at least two to three horses a day,” said Ocampo.
The ferrier shop can finish a horse in roughly an hour or so, as long as the horse is willing to cooperate.
When working with a stubborn horse, the farrier shop takes their time fitting the shoe, to keep the horse and the crew safe, said McDade.
Having worked with animals his whole life, McDade feels right at home preparing the horse’s shoe for today’s demonstration.
The detachment puts on a demonstration every week, exhibiting skills in both skill and precision. The mounted demonstration includes drill maneuvers at the walk, trot and gallop. The weapons demonstration comprises the use of the Cavalry Saber, Colt .45 caliber Revolver and the Springfield Carbine.
When he’s not working his tail off to get horses ready for the demonstration, McDade can be found riding his own horses in Killeen, said Ocampo.
“I get to do what I love and I’m getting paid for it. There’s really no better feeling than that,” said McDade.
| Date Taken: | 02.22.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 03.12.2019 11:22 |
| Story ID: | 313040 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD , TX, US |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Home Is Where The Heart Is: Killeen Native Joins Horse Cavalry Detachment, by SGT Richard Barnes, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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