Photo By Norman Shifflett | FORT CARSON, Colo. — Pfc. Lydia R. Hickel, 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson...... read more read more
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Soldiers from 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson Mounted Color Guard and the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment Horse Detachment from Fort Irwin, California, put on a cavalry demonstration for Soldiers and their Families on Pershing Field Oct.19, 2022.
In September the two teams competed at the National Cavalry Competition, and wanted to continue to learn from each other, so the Fort Irwin team decided to come out to Fort Carson and do some training together.
“We got to talking one day about common practices, that we do well and things that they do well, problems that each team has that were unique to each team, and solutions we had for each other,” said Capt. David P. Richards, 11th ACR Horse Detachment commander. “We decided we would come out and do some cross training, we would share those good practices not just between the OIC’s but with all of the riders and all the members of our teams.”
The two teams put on a demonstration of cavalry tactics from the 1800s, which included saber, rifle and pistol demonstrations.
The teams also performed what is called a Bolte Cup competition which is a culminating event where they use pistols, sabers and rifles in a single event. The riders must go through the course as fast as they can and the one with the best score wins. The Bolte cup competition is usually reserved for the top riders of a competition but this time all the riders got to compete to see what it is like.
“The riders will have to transition from a saber to a pistol and then have to dismount and shoot a rifle and remount their horse and then go over jumps or weave in and out of cones and it is a timed event,” said Staff Sgt. Craig Ellis, NCOIC of the 4th Inf. Div. and Fort Carson Mounted Color Guard.
Both teams try to keep the old cavalry spirit alive even in today’s modern military through cavalry competitions as well as supporting recruiting events and providing color guards for military ceremonies, sporting events and parades in their local communities.
The opportunity for the two teams to train together has helped them grow and learn from each other.
“It is truly a really special thing,” said Pfc. Lydia Hickel, 4th Inf. Div. and Fort Carson Mounted Color Guard. “We compete against them twice a year and to work with other color guards and see how different as well as the same we do things and learn from each other is really amazing.”
This was a short training event for the two teams, but they plan on doing it again with more extensive training to increase each other’s skills in different areas.
“We are planning to come back in late spring or early summer, and we will bring out two trailers of horses and the majority of the team,” said Richards. “We will spend an entire week with our trainers and Fort Carson trainers doing a week of clinics teaching pistols, jumps and the Fort Carson team will also be teaching us about their mule skinning team and their mules.”
| Date Taken: | 10.19.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 11.15.2022 15:53 |
| Story ID: | 433309 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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