WEBVTT 00:00.409 --> 00:02.409 But what brings us all together and 00:02.409 --> 00:04.465 ties us all together is our drive to 00:04.465 --> 00:06.631 keep the history and traditions of the 00:06.631 --> 00:08.170 old cavalry alive . 00:12.670 --> 00:14.892 At the end of the day , I think the big 00:14.892 --> 00:17.003 reason everyone comes here , it's all 00:17.003 --> 00:19.003 about the horses and preserving the 00:19.003 --> 00:20.559 traditions of the cavalry . 00:42.779 --> 00:46.659 We're trying to preserve what was done 00:47.479 --> 00:49.569 the start of the cavalry . And we're 00:49.580 --> 00:52.250 trying to remember soldiers that served 00:52.259 --> 00:54.630 in the cavalry . So that's our mission 00:54.639 --> 00:56.528 and then pass that on to the next 00:56.528 --> 00:58.639 generations because you don't wanna , 00:58.639 --> 01:01.340 you don't wanna lose it . This is as 01:01.349 --> 01:03.460 close as you can get to living actual 01:03.460 --> 01:06.910 history . So we preserve the tradition 01:06.919 --> 01:08.752 and history of the 19 01 cavalry 01:08.752 --> 01:10.919 troopers . I am wearing the uniform of 01:10.919 --> 01:13.250 a 19 01 cavalry trooper . I'm riding in 01:13.260 --> 01:15.427 the same saddle that a trooper rode in 01:15.427 --> 01:17.593 in the early 19 hundreds . The type of 01:17.593 --> 01:19.593 horses and the coloration of horses 01:19.593 --> 01:21.593 that I'm riding on are similar to . 01:21.593 --> 01:21.540 They were in the early 19 hundreds . 01:21.550 --> 01:24.309 This is living history and it's very 01:24.319 --> 01:26.430 important for us not to forget that , 01:26.430 --> 01:28.652 that critical moment in history because 01:28.652 --> 01:30.541 at one time , the soldiers of the 01:30.541 --> 01:32.708 United States army were considered the 01:32.708 --> 01:34.652 masters of horse around the entire 01:34.652 --> 01:38.260 world . These people 01:38.269 --> 01:40.629 see these soldiers mounted , you know , 01:40.639 --> 01:43.330 they get pretty , pretty teary eyed , 01:43.430 --> 01:46.110 you know , it just means so much that 01:46.120 --> 01:48.580 they can see active duty soldiers 01:48.589 --> 01:51.250 participated in this competition 01:53.139 --> 01:55.361 and , you know , I'm preserving history 02:04.839 --> 02:07.800 and it usually not always , but many , 02:07.809 --> 02:10.619 many times the , the , if they don't 02:10.630 --> 02:13.500 place well in military horsemanship , 02:13.509 --> 02:15.779 they don't place very well in the other 02:15.789 --> 02:18.229 events , pistol saber and jumping 02:18.270 --> 02:20.381 because they haven't got their basics 02:20.381 --> 02:21.381 down yet . 02:40.029 --> 02:42.570 Yes , combat horsemanship is very 02:42.580 --> 02:45.369 popular . What they need to do uh with 02:45.380 --> 02:48.589 combat horsemanship is they have to be 02:48.600 --> 02:52.399 able to uh demonstrate uh proficiency 02:52.410 --> 02:55.630 with the 45 70 trapdoor car being 02:55.839 --> 02:59.770 and uh six shot revolver and um 02:59.779 --> 03:03.729 also their saber and then they 03:03.740 --> 03:06.350 need to be able to demonstrate that 03:06.360 --> 03:09.220 they can back through obstacles , LS 03:09.229 --> 03:11.610 and down to two before so that the 03:11.619 --> 03:14.300 horse can operate in combat . 03:16.580 --> 03:18.636 The s of course is a course where we 03:18.636 --> 03:21.679 pit the trooper and his , his mount 03:21.690 --> 03:25.240 against targets in time . And what they 03:25.250 --> 03:27.306 are expected to do is to execute the 03:27.306 --> 03:30.259 course , engage every target and then 03:30.789 --> 03:32.845 not have any misses and not have any 03:32.845 --> 03:33.279 faults 03:44.710 --> 03:46.821 in the pistol . Of course , they have 03:46.821 --> 03:48.899 to complete a course with multiple 03:48.910 --> 03:50.688 changes of direction going over 03:50.688 --> 03:53.759 obstacles , jumps , water hazards 03:54.529 --> 03:57.940 and it's based on accuracy . 04:15.449 --> 04:17.589 The horse is a natural object . It's 04:17.600 --> 04:20.910 not years and mechanics . It's , it's 04:20.920 --> 04:23.470 bone , blood and sin you and you're not 04:23.480 --> 04:26.390 just connecting to a mindless object . 04:26.399 --> 04:28.455 You are connecting to something that 04:28.455 --> 04:30.677 has its own spirit , its own will , its 04:30.677 --> 04:32.732 own determination . And to reach out 04:32.732 --> 04:36.709 and grab that and harness it and to get 04:36.720 --> 04:39.549 it , to agree with you to do what you 04:39.559 --> 04:42.019 want to do is one of the best feelings 04:42.029 --> 04:43.973 in the world . It's like dancing a 04:43.973 --> 04:47.619 flawless waltz . So , taking care of 04:47.630 --> 04:49.741 the horses and getting them ready for 04:49.741 --> 04:51.797 the competition is the foundation of 04:51.797 --> 04:54.390 everything . If you don't take care of 04:54.399 --> 04:56.566 a horse , they're not gonna be able to 04:56.566 --> 04:58.566 perform at their best . They're not 04:58.566 --> 04:58.359 gonna want to perform . They're not 04:58.369 --> 05:00.591 gonna want to make you happy , which is 05:00.591 --> 05:02.758 a big thing with horses . They want to 05:02.758 --> 05:04.925 make you happy . They love you as much 05:04.925 --> 05:06.925 as we love them . And if you're not 05:06.925 --> 05:08.647 taking care of a horse in that 05:08.647 --> 05:10.647 relationship properly , they're not 05:10.647 --> 05:12.758 gonna be able to do that . You're not 05:12.758 --> 05:14.869 gonna be able to perform and we pride 05:14.869 --> 05:16.980 ourselves on how well we take care of 05:16.980 --> 05:19.202 our horses and they are some very happy 05:19.202 --> 05:20.202 horses there . 05:36.540 --> 05:38.651 So I was in an infantry unit before I 05:38.651 --> 05:40.818 was in the horse CAV detachment and it 05:40.818 --> 05:42.929 was during one of uh , a ceremony one 05:42.929 --> 05:45.799 day and we got to see , uh , after 05:45.809 --> 05:47.865 standing at parade , rest in the hot 05:47.865 --> 05:49.809 sun , bacon , we see the horse CAV 05:49.809 --> 05:53.160 detachment in the caver uniforms come 05:53.170 --> 05:55.503 screaming across the field on horseback . 05:55.503 --> 05:57.359 Firing off pistols in the air , 05:57.510 --> 06:00.250 shouting , yelling . And as the apaches 06:00.559 --> 06:02.615 flew overhead over top of them , the 06:02.615 --> 06:04.635 cannon goes off . It was this whole 06:04.644 --> 06:07.334 crazy , amazing thing and it just 06:07.345 --> 06:09.665 inspired me like nothing else . And I 06:09.674 --> 06:11.841 heard they were a thing that you could 06:11.841 --> 06:13.563 actually go join and they were 06:13.563 --> 06:15.785 recruiting and I raised my hand and got 06:15.785 --> 06:17.984 there about as fast as I could and I 06:17.994 --> 06:21.184 was lucky enough to , got to go . And 06:21.195 --> 06:23.075 I've got to put in the effort of 06:23.084 --> 06:25.575 training and passing all the tests to 06:25.744 --> 06:27.994 actually be able to get the luxury and 06:28.005 --> 06:29.838 privilege to be in the horse cav 06:29.838 --> 06:30.838 detachment . 06:33.799 --> 06:37.260 I've been with B troop since 2002 . So 06:37.269 --> 06:39.230 I guess that's about 21 years . I 06:39.239 --> 06:41.406 started in the ladies auxiliary , just 06:41.406 --> 06:43.572 riding side saddles and taking care of 06:43.572 --> 06:47.519 horses until 2010 when 06:47.529 --> 06:50.420 females were allowed to become troopers 06:51.000 --> 06:53.278 at the time , I was just happy to ride . 06:53.790 --> 06:57.380 And it , it , it came from the history 06:57.390 --> 07:00.630 of Petro being very authentic geldings 07:00.640 --> 07:02.899 of hardy color , authentic tag , 07:02.910 --> 07:05.779 authentic uniforms . And of course , 07:06.049 --> 07:09.809 male riders over the time , 07:09.920 --> 07:13.369 we were acknowledged and um allowed to 07:13.380 --> 07:16.230 ride as troopers . So it was very , 07:16.239 --> 07:19.820 very exciting and just a change . But 07:19.829 --> 07:21.051 it all came gradually 07:24.190 --> 07:26.880 when I joined the horse attachment . I 07:26.890 --> 07:29.269 remember like the day that I went to my 07:29.279 --> 07:31.501 leadership and I told them like , hey , 07:31.501 --> 07:33.612 I can't do this , you know , and they 07:33.612 --> 07:35.779 asked me like , what's going on , what 07:35.779 --> 07:37.946 happened , man . Uh I'm scared , man . 07:37.946 --> 07:40.057 They talked to me , they talked to me 07:40.057 --> 07:39.429 and they , and they asked me , you know , 07:39.440 --> 07:41.662 you know , we can help you , you know . 07:41.690 --> 07:44.589 And I was like , yeah , ok , I'm gonna 07:44.600 --> 07:46.880 try one more time , you know , and , 07:46.890 --> 07:49.057 and let's see what's , what happened , 07:49.057 --> 07:51.279 you know . So the next day I remember I 07:51.279 --> 07:53.390 took my horse , one of the horses , I 07:53.390 --> 07:55.557 put the saddle on and then I mouth and 07:55.557 --> 07:59.230 I say , let's go . And it was , it was 07:59.239 --> 08:01.461 a little bit crazy when I got the bugle 08:01.461 --> 08:03.461 on me , you know , because we had a 08:03.461 --> 08:06.230 Bugler and then he was trying to like , 08:06.239 --> 08:08.183 like , like play , you know , play 08:08.183 --> 08:10.290 charge . I remember and then I asked 08:10.299 --> 08:12.700 him like , hey , can I try ? And they 08:12.709 --> 08:14.820 told me no , because they were busy , 08:14.820 --> 08:17.042 you were busy with it , you know . Then 08:17.042 --> 08:19.098 second time I asked him like , hey , 08:19.098 --> 08:21.265 can I try to play ? And they were told 08:21.265 --> 08:23.265 me like , no , hold on . And then I 08:23.265 --> 08:25.265 asked him like , for third time and 08:25.265 --> 08:27.320 they told me like , yes , we're done 08:27.320 --> 08:29.542 now , you can , you can , you can try . 08:29.542 --> 08:31.653 And then I took the pill , I took the 08:31.653 --> 08:34.020 mouth piece . I put it on and I start 08:34.030 --> 08:37.330 playing . They went straight to the 08:37.340 --> 08:39.396 first party and they told him like , 08:39.396 --> 08:41.451 hey , we found the people and he was 08:41.451 --> 08:43.396 like , you're kidding . Right . No 09:01.289 --> 09:03.233 people think sometimes like you're 09:03.233 --> 09:05.456 teaching the horses how to do something 09:05.630 --> 09:08.500 and to be honest , like most of the 09:08.510 --> 09:10.732 time the horses are like teaching you , 09:10.950 --> 09:13.369 they give you like confidence . That's 09:13.380 --> 09:15.729 the first thing that I'll say they give 09:15.739 --> 09:17.961 to you , you know , that confidence and 09:17.961 --> 09:20.017 not only for riding in general , you 09:20.017 --> 09:22.128 know , for your life in general , you 09:22.128 --> 09:24.128 know , like you're confident , like 09:24.128 --> 09:25.961 when you're gonna do something , 09:25.961 --> 09:27.961 whatever task in your life . So you 09:27.961 --> 09:30.239 feel more like , yes , I'm gonna do it . 09:30.239 --> 09:29.710 You know , 09:36.190 --> 09:38.246 every troop I know of in the army at 09:38.246 --> 09:40.468 least will teach you how to ride and do 09:40.468 --> 09:42.412 it well , do it effectively . Uh I 09:42.412 --> 09:44.359 would also tell you don't let your 09:44.369 --> 09:47.369 fears dictate your future . 09:54.309 --> 09:56.420 There are many things that you can do 09:56.420 --> 09:58.753 in the army , not besides just your job . 09:59.260 --> 10:02.520 And if you have a desire to do it , try 10:02.530 --> 10:04.599 out for it , give it a try . Even if 10:04.609 --> 10:08.049 you've never been around a horse as uh 10:08.059 --> 10:10.260 will Rogers always said one of his 10:10.270 --> 10:12.381 euphemisms was the outside of a horse 10:12.381 --> 10:14.979 is good for the inside of a man . And 10:15.669 --> 10:18.599 it's the , it's therapeutic being 10:18.609 --> 10:20.553 around horses , even if you're not 10:20.553 --> 10:22.553 riding them . If you're just ground 10:22.553 --> 10:22.400 crew and healthy , 10:28.719 --> 10:31.099 any unit in the armed forces always 10:31.109 --> 10:33.165 needs support in order to be mission 10:33.165 --> 10:35.276 successful . What is unique about the 10:35.276 --> 10:37.387 horse cavalry detachments is they are 10:37.387 --> 10:39.609 given a no fail mission where you can't 10:39.609 --> 10:42.859 just have a horse that isn't cared for . 10:42.869 --> 10:44.925 If you have a humvee and you have to 10:44.925 --> 10:47.147 order a part for it . It can sit in the 10:47.147 --> 10:49.202 motor pool for two weeks and nothing 10:49.202 --> 10:49.099 bad is gonna happen to that vehicle . 10:49.109 --> 10:51.414 But horse needs care and support . You 10:51.424 --> 10:53.646 have to give it that second . Otherwise 10:53.646 --> 10:55.702 that horse will be neglected and can 10:55.702 --> 10:57.813 have serious health ramifications . I 10:57.813 --> 11:00.035 think all of the horse units across the 11:00.035 --> 10:59.794 army right now more than ever as budget 10:59.804 --> 11:02.094 titan need that support for that no 11:02.104 --> 11:04.326 fail mission of caring for these living 11:04.326 --> 11:06.048 breathing animals that are the 11:06.048 --> 11:08.160 lifeblood of our history and our ties 11:08.160 --> 11:10.215 to our forefathers hundreds of years 11:10.215 --> 11:14.159 ago . So this 11:14.169 --> 11:17.119 is a good opportunity to exchange ideas 11:17.130 --> 11:20.270 and just bond because we're all in , in 11:20.280 --> 11:22.900 this together and we're all historical 11:22.909 --> 11:25.299 units and we're all in danger of 11:25.309 --> 11:26.580 becoming instinct . 11:31.190 --> 11:34.409 990,000 horses 11:34.630 --> 11:38.330 died serving our country from 8 , 11:38.340 --> 11:42.340 17 76 to 1948 . That's how important 11:42.349 --> 11:44.580 the horse was . So 11:46.780 --> 11:49.500 we , we can't forget the horse . That's , 11:49.849 --> 11:51.738 that's , we can't , we can't , we 11:51.738 --> 11:51.580 shouldn't .