A Brief look at the US Calvary

Photos from 3rd USArmy,Old Guard Unit

Ever wonder what happened to the famous US Calvary? They were once the backbone of  authority and protection for citizens living in the wilderness states. Where are they now?

“The last of the 1st Cavalry Division’s mounted units permanently retired their horses and converted to infantry formations on 28 February 1943. However, a mounted Special Ceremonial Unit known as the Horse Platoon – later, the Horse Cavalry Detachment – was established within the division in January 1972. Its ongoing purpose is to represent the traditions and heritage of the American horse cavalry at military ceremonies and public events.” (Wikipedia)

The US still maintains a Caisson Division which remains with the Army’s “Old Guard” Unit. Here are their website facts:

• “The Old Guard” is the Army’s oldest active Infantry Regiment.
• The 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment, “The Old Guard” is the Army’s premiere ceremonial unit and escort to the President of the United States.
• Soldiers in the unit represent Soldiers throughout the world in ceremonies in the National Capital Region.
• The Old Guard’s Soldiers are in Arlington National Cemetery daily rendering final honors for our fallen heroes both past and present.
• The Old Guard Soldiers are tactically proficient in their soldiering skills.
• Besides their ceremonial duties, Soldiers in The Old Guard stand ready to defend the NCR in the event of an emergency.
• The Old Guard companies have deployed overseas in support of Overseas Contingency Operations, and are currently serving in Iraq.

There are many re-enactment groups who faithfully provide the drama of former battles bravely fought by the mounted military nearly a century ago.

Trotting a Beat in San Francisco,by Delfin Vigil »« Horses and Plains Indians; R.E. Moore

Horses and Plains Indians; R.E. Moore

scene from movie: Dances With Woves

To read more of our guest article click :  R.E.Moore

The Indians got their first horses from the Spanish. When the Spanish explorers Coronado and DeSoto came into America they brought horses with them. This was in the year of 1540. Some horses got away and went wild. But, the Indians did not seem to have done much with these wild horses. They did not start to ride or use horses until much later.

In the 1600s there were a lot of Spanish missions and settlers in New Mexico just to the west of Texas. This is where the Pueblo and Navaho Indians live. The Spanish in New Mexico used Indians as slaves and workers. These Indian slaves and workers learned about horses working on the Spanish ranches. The Spanish had a law that made it a crime for an Indian to own a horse or a gun. Still these Indians learned how to train a horse and they learned how to ride a horse. They also learned how to use horses to carry packs.

In the year of 1680 the Pueblo Indians revolted against the Spanish and drove the Spanish out of their land and back down into Old Mexico. The Spanish were forced to leave so fast they left behind many horses. The Pueblo Indians took these horses and used them. The Spanish did not come back until the year of 1694. While the Spanish were gone the Pueblo Indians raised large herds of horses. They began selling and trading them to other Indians such as the Kiowa and Comanche. The Pueblo Indians also taught the other Indian tribes how to ride and how to raise horses.

Horses spread across the Southern Plains pretty quickly. French traders reported that the Cheyenne Indians in Kansas got their first horses in the year of 1745. Horses changed life for the plains Indians.

A Brief look at the US Calvary »« Horses in Public Service

Horses in Public Service

At the turn of the twentieth century the horse was still a dominating influence in public life. As the source of primary transportation they pulled machinery and wagons in their role as field and farm helpers. In their civic duties they mobilized the fire, police, and military services.   Their role in military action required enormously rigorous training which a core of expert horsemen diligently implemented. It was not a surprise that such expertise would lead to public challenges to see whose country’s training regimen excelled, and so the beginning of the Equestrian Olympic Games began in 1900. Only three categories were listed, and two more were added as unofficial options although not included as official Olympic classes. There was the “Jump”, “High Jump”, and “Long Jump” categories with “Hacks and Hunters” and “Mail Coach” added as unofficial categories.  Belgium brought home two Gold Medals, a silver and one Bronze. France and Italy battled out and tied the remaining Gold Medal and battled for the remaining silver and bronze. The results were France winning two Bronze, one Gold; and Italy winning only one Silver and sharing the Gold with France.

(Equestrian pictogram from Olympic files)

Horses and Plains Indians; R.E. Moore »« Fun Training for Weekend Riders

Fun Training for Weekend Riders

Photo: Brenda Imus from myHorse.com

Do you work a forty hour week? Are you limited to just the weekends to ride? Are you unable to trailer out due to inclement weather? Here are some fun horseback activities you can do to keep your horse reasonably in shape and to keep his mind active.

Many riders find that the use of cones offers endless variety and complexity for training options. Just three cones in a spacious triangle, or on a straight line (verticle or horizontal), can mimic a trail ride by using the cones as ‘trees or rocks’ to maneuver your horse around. As you wind through them you can alert your horse to: not drifting sideways outside the intended circle; not to change speeds on his own; not to ignore your seat and force you to only use your reins for turning; and not to be one-sided, but instead bend both ways, right and left, when asked. As he gets the hang of it at the walk then you can pick up the pace to a trot, and when he gets really fluid and comfortable, the canter work has endless options for practicing figure eights, flying changes, and even counter canter.

Ground poles expand your cone lessons by moving beyond the turning and flexing exercises. The discipline of the work helps your horse with learning to shift his weight backward and begin lifting to step over objects.  This helps increase your horse’s impulsion and dexterity of stride, and assists you in gaining better control and influence in the saddle. (There is no reason why you can’t add a tarp to walk on, too.) One of my favorite uses of ground poles is to place two to three groupings of  poles throughout the ring. I lay them flat on the ground with a cone at each end. Then I practice figure eights by having the horse step over the center of the pole, bend around the end cone, step again over the center of the pole, then bend around the other end cone. As you come over one set of poles you can head for another set while in a leg yield/shoulder-in/half-pass, then return to the figure eight at the new set of poles.

You can see that even if you only have a few hours a week to ride, you can still imagine how to ride full-time.  Try jotting down your ideas during the day so that you can remember to try them out on your next weekend ride. When you finally return to riding your horse outdoors your horse should be better prepared from these special exercises, and you’ll have a closer relationship with him from spending extra time with him during the wintry months.

Horses in Public Service »« John “Red” Pollard

John “Red” Pollard

 Just revisited the movie: “Seabiscuit”. What a great moment in history. Read a special tribute to one of America’s greatest horse jockeys as written by   Norah Pollard ,   his daughter and a native Rhode Islander.

photo from:gossipcraze.com

Fun Training for Weekend Riders »« The First Cowboys; the Vaquero

The First Cowboys; the Vaquero

The Vaquero

The Vaquero, or Mexican cattle herder, came from Mexico and was an employee of the cattle and/or horse ranches in the southwest. It was considered a lifetime job and many vaqueros were born and raised on the same ranch where they worked and even brought up their own families there. The beef industry was a powerful market in those days and was rising to its peak in the nineteenth century. The daily duties on horseback for a vaquero required strenuous livestock management and the transportation of cattle through rugged, raw territories to bring the cattle to markets where they were sold and shipped. The vaquero was also responsible for the breeding, branding, and safety of all the cows/horses on the ranch as well as the maintenance of the fencing and stabling. In those days the western United States was still Mexican territory and the ranchers carried a lot of influence as they were the providers of the food and the mounts for the Mexican Calvary and eventually the US Calvary. As eastern settlers migrated into the western territories they watched and learned the vaquero methods of cattle ranching and used these methods when establishing their own ranches. After the western territories were adopted into the United States many vaqueros stayed on even though many of the elaborate Mexican ranches were dissolved. The vaqueros kept their distinct dress and rugged outdoor lifestyle and eventually evolved into the modern day American Cowboy that we see on ranches and in rodeos today.
Click to learn more about the Vaquero.

John “Red” Pollard »« Doma Vaquera Equitation

Doma Vaquera Equitation

by Jerrilee Streeter

Doma Vaquera is a Spanish phrase that defines the individuals in Spain who work with the cattle and bulls on the ranches and out on the hillsides. The doma vaquera is a person who has a special manner, or style, in which they dress. There is special riding tack , and a unique, individual way in which their horses are taught and ridden that distinguishes them from other riding disciplines. In Spain, some Doma Vaquera still go into the bullring to challenge the bull and still others demonstrate their skillful riding as they guide their horse in their work among the cattle. Included with the regular gear that a doma vaquero works with is the use of a garrocha. The garrocha is a long wooden pole used as an extension of the doma vaquera’s arm to activate, push, and guide cattle along the hillsides. In countries outside of Spain, the Doma Vaquera has evolved into a riding discipline that simulates the pattern work and movements of a working bullfighter mount. The rider still wears the traditional outfit and saddles the horse with the traditional gear to practice a combination of lateral jumps, sudden stops, and pirouettes which are used by today’s working doma vaqueras. There are even riding competitions where participants can show their horse’s special abilities in performing the patterns and movements of the doma vaquero horse. This includes the garrocha which, when used in the competition arena, can be an artful, breathtaking performance, especially when the rider works through the maneuvers without the use of the reins. A demonstration of this can be viewed on the video provided on the La Garrocha link. (To preserve the purity of the performance the link has been kept in its original Spanish format.)
Click here for La Garrocha then click on video to begin demonstration
Click here to learn more about Doma Vaquera.

The First Cowboys; the Vaquero »« History of the Saddle

History of the Saddle

A brief history of the saddle and dressage seat.

Two guest articles by Dr Nancy Nicholson

Doma Vaquera Equitation »« Exploring the Origins of Horse Whispering

Exploring the Origins of Horse Whispering

photo of Nevzorova & horse courtesy,Lydia Nevzorova

The phrase ‘horse whisperer’ is actually an evolved term, having roots in the 1800′s.  Back at the turn of the 19th century remote agrarian districts made the change from oxen to draft horses in their efforts to gain greater efficiency and speed when farming. The downside of replacing their oxen? Their vulnerability when using the massive bodied, often belligerent, horse. Learned horsemanship skills became a priority, creating a new industry of horse tamers and trainers. Answering the call for such an industry was a collection of horsemen in Scotland who formed a group called The Society of the Horseman’s Word. The Society unified blacksmiths, horse tamers and dealers, then set fees and restrictions and promised exclusivity of knowledge, enticing the public to turn to their members first. Their claim was that their members were  ‘gifted’ over and above the traditional horse trainers for they possessed Scottish equine ‘supernatural’ powers.  Members of the Word, were  taught various incantations and rituals claiming to have special magic that controlled wild, or vicious horses. Watching Society members fix their recalcitrant horses, farmers invented the name  ’horse-witches’ to describe the way Society members circled round a horse , shook enchanted objects, and whispered chants to bring out the goodness in the horses. Eventually, through the decades, the phrase ‘horse-witch’ became ‘horse whisperer’ since it more accurately described the way the men would whisper into the ears of the horses. The popularity of the Society of the Horseman’s Word escalated and spread throughout Scotland and into parts of England, eventually moving off the continent and securing the phrase ‘horse whisperer’ as a coveted endorsement of a tamer’s talent. At the turn of the 20th century, as in the turn of the 19th century, the horse, like the oxen, was replaced by the tractor which began to dominate farm work and by cars which began to dominate roads. The Society of the Horseman’s Word  disbanded in the 1920′s, replaced by the powerful auto industry.

There are many actual instances of exceptional horsemen down the centuries. Alexander the Great, for instance, and Xenophon the horse master, both from the time period of 300-355 BC are well known names among horse people.  A lesser known talent, during the mid 1600′s, was a young Neapolitan called Pietro.  Young Pietro is one of the early circus-type entertainers who traveled his country with his horse. Their story began when Pietro encountered a wild barb horse named Mauraco. Already an abused and angry animal, Mauraco’s indominability captivated Pietro who decided he must find a way to tame the horse. Using techniques rarely spoken of, and never publicly seen, Pietro trained his horse through friendship, offering rewards rather than beatings for incentives. In addition, he declined the use of saddle and bridle and trained the horse to do tricks instead. His novel approach was to have the horse perform the acts indicated by the movements of his hand. It was not long before Mauraco was completely reformed, accepting any command Pietro gave him. Pietro traveled the European continent giving exhibitions with his beloved companion. Some of the public favorites in the performances were watching Mauraco sit, kneel, lie down, jump through a series of two and three hoops, and even take a glove from Pietro and give it to someone he pointed to in the audience. Bystanders were amazed at the performance of the brilliant horse controlled only by the voice and hand of its master. Pietro was elated to demonstrate his discovery that kindness, not cruelty, had won the horse’s respect. But not everyone was amused. When Pietro and Mauraco performed in the city of Arles, France, his show terrified the townspeople. Watching him control his horse with the wave of a hand and a whisper in the ear was not training to them, but ‘black magic’. Pietro was not a hero, but an evil sorcerer, and his horse was accused of being possessed with demons. Sadly, both horse and master were burned to death on the spot.

Horsemen such as Pietro, Alexandre the Great, and Xenophon, gained noteriety as a result of their quiet approach to horse training, their preference to capture the co operation and trust of the horse through encouragement, rather than  exploiting the horse’s fear of danger. Xenophon was the first to write a book explaining the path of encouragement/reward training for horses, making his work a primary origin of horse whispering. Although reward training is not necessarily horse whispering, it clearly contradicted the barbaric tendencies typically employed for training animals and endorsed the empathic approach, and this empathic approach is an element of horse whispering. Furthermore, Xenophon advised riders to “match the strength and boldness of the horse to the logic of human intent”, to “capture their willingness and to make them happy to work”.

Today’s horse whisperers have more recognizable names. Many may remember Alois Podhajski, or Nuno Oliveira, Tom Dorrance, or Buck Brannaman. The accomplishments of these riding masters prove their art, but they have also left a legacy of valuable articles and books preserving their stories and training work.

 Another favorite whisperer, Monty Roberts, wrote in his book, “The Man Who Listens To Horses”:   “A good trainer can hear a horse speak to him. A great trainer can hear him whisper.” Monty, whose discovery that horses have their own body language which they use to communicate between themselves, used this ‘language’ to assist the horses in understanding what humans wanted from them. Allowing the horse to understand his handler through its own body language bridged the gap between the human and the equine, creating a common ground that connected the horse straight to the human intent. Defining the text of horse whispering this way clears away much of its mystique. It also places a new burden upon the general horse owner of today to move and expand beyond just a typical grunting, reactionary saddle buff and instead to try to connect with their animal. Most certainly this is what the noble Pietro was trying to share with the world through his work with his special horse Mauraco.

Monty Roberts & horse

References: Xenophon,”Treatise on Horsemanship”; 350BC

Delcampe,M. “Ecuyer de la Grande Ecurie Du Roi”; 1661

Nolan, Capt. L.E., “Training of Cavalry Remount Horses”; 1852

Hutton, R.”Triumph of the Moon”;2001

History of the Saddle »« Bitless Riding & Driving

Bitless Riding & Driving

Some Thoughts on the Hackamore
By Gwynn Turnbull Weaver

There are many different ideas floating around the country about the hackamore and how it is to be used. Its very makeup seems to be a mystery to many and its function even more elusive. How such a simple concept became so complex is beyond many dyed in the wool traditionalists but, be that as it may, some information about the hackamore is outlined here.

The snaffle bit came into play late in the game, in vaquero terms – showing up en mass when the British came onto the scene. Until then, the hackamore ushered most new mounts onto the payroll. It is no mystery to most that horses were started later in life in our not so distant past. Genetics, feed and the rigors of ranch life deemed it so. “Older blooded” horses were colder blooded horses – maturing later both mentally and physically. Feed, at least in many arid regions, fluctuated with the seasons and sparse times, along with long outside winters, held growth in check for many colts. It was not uncommon then for horses to grow substantially, well after their fifth or sixth year on earth.

What seems to stump most folks is the reasoning behind schooling the horse with the absence of a bit. Since the use of a bit is the end result down the road and since the horse has, in most modern day cases, already accepted the snaffle bit in its mouth, why then would we “change up” in mid stream and go to the hackamore? The most basic answers can be found straight from the horse’s mouth.

The Changing

One concept that fostered and continued the advocation of the hackamore was the changing nature of a horse’s mouth; particularly during the years that the teeth doing the changing are the ones directly involved with the bit. This seemed to line up with a horse’s coming four to coming five year old years. The changing of teeth marked the time a horseman did well to keep out of Mother Nature’s way and steer clear of their horse’s potentially sore and sensitive mouth.

Unfortunately, most modern-day trainers ignore the changing of a horse’s teeth. The best of horsemen are sensitive to the horse’s demeanor, ever searching for the subtle hints that indicate and instruct him on his journey. Only the keenest of horsemen, while paying attention to the messages their horse sends to them, understands that the condition of the animal’s mouth is one message he would do well to consider.

The hackamore was the obvious solution; it afforded the horseman the freedom to continue using and advancing his mount through the changing of his teeth. What most horsemen never counted on, however, was the added benefits the change offered them, while working through the differences the hackamore brought to light.

Horsemanship Exposed

What most good hands soon learn when using the hackamore is the simple fact that there are maneuvers and exercises that a horse might be “made” to do in a snaffle bit, but the hackamore requires that the horse be “taught” to do them.

The most valuable contribution the hackamore makes in the training process is the deficiencies it reveals in the rider. Few know or understand this principle. When using the hackamore it is essential that the rider set up his maneuvers correctly and fully support the cues he gives his mount. The rider’s body positioning, weight placement, timing and sensitivity must be correct in order for the hackamore horse to translate those cues.

The message the actual hackamore itself can offer is so subtle that the horse will feel for the accompanying cues from the rider’s legs, weight and posture to confirm the message before acting on it. If the rider is out of position or offering inconsistent cues elsewhere, the horse will quickly lose confidence in the hackamore’s cue and become muddled and confused.

This unique characteristic of the hackamore might possibly be its greatest contribution to the equine world. It requires a level of horsemanship and handiness to operate it successfully. A cowboy must know and understand all of the peripheral cues used to position his horse as he should before he can support the hackamore the way it must be supported.

The hackamore is a key phase for this reason. It trains or reinforces the concept in the rider that the horse is to be taught to respond to messages, later called signals, in the final stages of putting a horse in the bridle. It is extremely important that the rider know how to set up, support and deliver his cues consistently with all the tools he has to work with.

Editors note:a riding halter can substitute for a hackamore because the same principles apply. Stacey Westfall demonstrates bareback and bridleless:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wLikusmCEA

Exploring the Origins of Horse Whispering »« Best Friends!