Sunday, August 17, 2014
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
The Faithful Cavalry Horse
The National Sporting Library in Middleburg, Virginia–the heart of modern Virginia horse country–commissioned a monument to the Civil War cavalry horse. Rather than portray a hale and hearty horse, the monument shows an exhausted, malnourished cavalry horse, still faithful and still serving, even though it was clearly near the end of its rope. The scabbard to his master’s saber is empty; we don’t know what happened to his master. The monument accurately depicts the condition of Civil War cavalry horses, and shows the frightful toll that endless hours of marching and picketing took on those proud beasts.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
U.S. Cavalry Fighters are Going to Play Polo
First Polo Clubs
In
England, the first polo match was organized by Captain Edward "Chicken"
Hartopp, of the British Cavalry 10th Hussars, on Hounslow Heath in
1869. However, one year earlier in 1868, a detachment of this regiment
had played a practice game near Limerick. By the 1870's, the sport of
polo was well established in England.In 1876, James Gordon Bennett, a noted American publisher, introduced the sport of polo to New York City. He organized the first polo match in the United States at Dickel's Riding Academy at 39th Street and Fifth Avenue.
In the spring of 1876, a group of polo players established the first formal American polo club, the Westchester Polo Club, at the Jerome Park race track in New York.
In 1877, Thomas Hitchcock Sr., Oliver W. Bird, August Belmont, Benjamin Nicoll, and their associates participated in the first polo match on Long Island. The polo match was played on the infield of the racetrack of the Mineola Fair Grounds.
Within ten years, there were numerous polo clubs on Long Island. Over the next 50 years, the sport of polo achieved tremendous popularity in the United States.
It was in 1892 that the the 4th Cavalry Regiment organized the first regimental polo club in Washington state, Horsemanship became synonymous with leadership, and polo was an efficient way to train soldiers and officers in the art of war. At Fort Riley, Kansas, Army polo was being played in full force by 1896. Cow ponies were bought for $15 a head and teams were assembled, schooled and sent on the road to compete against other teams in Fort Benning, Georgia, Fort Bliss and Kelly Field in Texas, Fort Douglas, Utah, Fort Monroe, Virginia, and the Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Popularity amongst the offiers was such that the Army Polo Association became a part of the United States Polo Association in 1902, and subsequently in 1914 there was polo being played at seventeen Army stations.
From 1900 to 1936, polo was an Olympic sport. In 1920 an Army Team was fielded and represented the United States in the Olympic Games at Antwerp, with the American squad emerging bronze medalists behind the United Kingdom’s British Army gold medal winners. United Kingdom teams were the international polo powers of the time and were medalists for five Olympiads held before the Second World War. In 1936 polo was officially dropped from the Olympic Games. It must be remembered that in fact, until the cavalry was disbanded in 1948, every single U.S. equestrian Olympic team was made up of members of the cavalry or U.S. Army equestrian team; civilians were not invited to take part until the Helsinki games in 1952, the same year women were first allowed to compete in Olympic equestrian events.
"U.S. cavalry fighters are going to play polo
in order to obtain poise in the saddle."
The experiences of US Army polo in the Philippines tell an illustrative tale.
William
Cameron Forbes was an American investment banker and diplomat. During
the administration of President Howard Taft, he served as
Governor-General of the Philippines from 1908 to 1913. Among his
passions was the game of Polo; so much so that he bought a tract of land
along Manila Bay out of his personal funds and donated it to the
incorporators of the Manila Polo Club which opened in November of 1909.
Rivalry between the Polo Club and the military always drew crowds. Among overseas officers, polo appears to have assumed the status of a distinct subculture, equal to that of boxing among enlisted men. By the 1920s the army in the Philipines boasted eight polo teams and participated in a six-month season in which matches often were played three times a week.
Forts McKinley and Stotsenberg and the “Carabao Wallow Hunt and Polo Club” at Nichols Field each had their own field and stable; officers brought their polo ponies with them and there was keen interest in breeding with European and Australian stock.
Tournaments were held in February and May of each year and played for the Far Eastern, Wood, and Langhorne Cups.
Source: Guardians of Empire: The U.S. Army and the Pacific, 1902-1940, Brian McAllister Linn.
‘Black Jack’ Pershing, General of the Armies during World War I, invited the British Army to a series of matches in 1923 and '25. All horses used in play were required to be owned by officers on the active list or the property of the United States War Department.
“The
United States Army polo team swept everything before it yesterday on
International Field, Meadow Brook Club, Westbury, L.I., and captured the
third and deciding game for the world’s military championship from
Great Britain, 10-3. There is no superlative to describe the efforts of
the United States representatives. Pitted against a team rated nearly
twice as strong as individuals and which was mounted on far superior
ponies, the Americans won simply by their own determined will to conquer
and an ability to play together as a unit.”
New York Times, September 19, 1923
The back story to the 1923 US Cavalry victory over the British is informative
With the tournament against the British scheduled for September, tryouts for the U.S. Army team were held at Mitchel Field, New York in June of 1923. The Army Air Corps had a Polo center there at the air field, complete with stables, hospital, barracks, feed storage, enclosed playing field and practice grounds.
The four players selected to represent the Army consisted of two prominent cavalry officers. Major Arthur H. “Jingles” Wilson, a 6th Cavalry Medal of Honor recipient from “knocking out the Moros” in 1909 was appointed “Captain of the Team”, and Major John K. Herr, a highly rated five-goal player who became the last Army Chief of Cavalry in 1938
The other two team members were Lieutenant Colonel Lewis Brown, Jr. and Major Louis A. Beard. The British were heavily favored to win, as their players were rated 14 goals than the U.S. team. The game was played ‘On the Level” and the US team was not granted any goals by handicap.
The U.S. Army Team was quick off the mark, preparation for the match with the English took precedence over all other duties. They spent the summer of 1923 playing in a variety of tournaments on the east coast, they were victorious at the U.S. Junior Championship before the British of the UK Army Team got off the boat. The British hit the beach on the 24th of August, bringing with them 25 first class horses and groom. Arriving when they did, gave the Red Coats a full three weeks for their mounts to acclimate and for them to prepare. Being that there were Olympic Gold Medalists on the team, the British the odds were weighted towards them to gain the upper hand and emerge victorious from the three matches that would be played at the “Yankee Stadium of polo,” the prestigious Meadow Brook Club in Westbury, Long Island.
It was an era when polo was a major spectator sport and the results of the polo matches were regularly reported on the sports pages of national papers and attendance at the games would often exceed those of both tennis and golf in overall numbers.
“…it is forbidden by law to drink, gamble or bet…I did all these things in the greatest luxury and comfort within forty-eight hours of my arrival.”
The visiting Brits were made welcome in the homes of the prominent polo families to include the famous Tommy Hitchcock, a dashing figure who was the highest rated player of the day and who, it has been said, provided a foundational character for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby.
The Tournament was a best of three series and the riders rode onto thefirst match on 12 September 1923. There were 10,000 spectators gathered at Meadow Brook Club to watch the action. It took only thirty seconds for the Brits to score after the first throw in. The US players were not intimidated, but like John Paul Jones had just begun to fight, riding hard the US Army rode on to an an upset, a 10-7 victory. Team Captain Wilson leading while, according to the NY Times,
“Herr and Beard…stroking splendidly, saving many points by their courage in checking the British attack.”
Secretary of War Weeks, and “officers and buck privates” in the stands celebrated the victory, as the Americans at a gallop style of play seemed to baffle the slower moving British. (Washington Post)
It was just four days later when the Red Coats managed a 12-10 win against the American officers with “Black Jack” Pershing and the U.S. Military Academy First Class watching from the sidelines on that fateful Saturday. The British win set the stage for the third and final match, at which who had the bragging rights for the the first International Military Polo Championship would be determined
It was on the 18th of September that Major Herr wrote home saying,
“Today we must do battle with our backs against the wall,” before mounting up on his string of polo horses, Liggett, Starlight, Meld and Spaghetti to ride against the British.
The US team continued to ride hard and played with a hurry up offensive style, pushing to score quickly, before their horses were spent. Herr and Brown each scored four goals, becoming the the offensive stars of the team., It turned out to be a great day for the US Cavalry, out scoring the Red Coats, 10-3, in a decisive victory over the best the British had to offer. The unexpected victory was complete and cups presented to the winning team by famous polo player Devereux Milburn and the Secretary of War.
The New York Times afterwards in analyzing the tournament identified the winning key components of the U.S. Army Team “as speed, intensity and team work,” traits that many officers later also identified as values of the sport.
While newspaper sports writers were struggling to the proper superlatives for the US triumph over the British, the effect upon the U.S. Army was immediate, The Cavalry Journal wrote ...
“We are continuing to justify the War Department policy of promoting polo.”
The sports popularity amongst officers increased substantially. With the USPA reporting that an additional 244 officers joined the handicap rolls with nearly forty per cent of all rated players being Army officers.
The game became so popular that in 1928 there was polo being played at forty-seven Army posts scattered across the continental United States and in the territories of the Philippines, Hawaii and the Canal Zone.
Members
of the 10th Cavalry polo team at Fort Huachuca in 1925. From left to
right: 1st Lieut.J6hn H. Healy, Major Frank K. Chapin, Lieut. Halley C.
Maddox, Capt. Taylor, Lieut. George C. Clausen, 1st Lieut. Kirk
Broaddus. Photo courtesy Mrs. Kirk Broaddus.
It was during the 1930s that there were 1,500 polo players in the US military. This number greatly exceeded the number of civilians that participated at the sport. All these polo playing soldiers needed horses, and that's where the Army remount service came in. provided a valuable resource-not only to the military but to the sport in general as well. The remount service began around 1912 and supplied horses for the Army from four main military installations, in Virginia, Oklahoma, Nebraska and California. The Quartermaster Corps acted as purchasing agents for the Army and would meet any demand made for horses. The remount depots also became involved in a country-wide breeding program for the Army horses.
* * * * * *
When
the National Intercollegiate Polo Association was formed, two of the
six original were military schools-Pennsylvania Military Academy and
West Point. West Point's last team, the Black Knights, played in 1946.
The 1939-1940 polo season was, perhaps, one of the greatest for polo at PMC. Under the guidance of Coach Carl Schaubel, ’30, considered at the time to be the best polo coach in the country, the team of Jim Spurrier ‘40, Emery Hickman ‘40 and “Bud” Maloney ‘41 excelled. Jim Spurrier was the sparkplug of the team. Bud Maloney formed the spearhead on attack, and Emory Hickman constantly retrieved the ball, feeding it to Spurrier and Maloney. Following the completion of a successful regular season, the PMC team once again played in the Intercollegiate Polo Tournament. They beat Harvard and West Point, but were defeated by Princeton in the Championship game. After graduation, these men, along with William Dudley ’42, a sophomore and another member of the polo team, were again teamed together in the 1st Cavalry Division. Three of these polo players distinguished themselves in action and earned Silver Star Medals for their leadership and heroism.
Oklahoma Military Academy
By
1930, OMA’s enrollment was nearing 300, ten times the size of the first
class 11 years earlier. That same year, the school got a Reserve
Officer Training Corps (R.O.T.C.) cavalry program, with the federal
government sending 60 horses and 11 enlisted men to the Hill. |
| Oklahoma Military Academy Flying Cadets |
Value of the Sport
Polo
is a dangerous game; that being one of the sport's attractions for
young, energetic officers. An Army officer was killed while playing at
the Meadow Brook Club in 1931. The Cavalry Journal reported a minor
accident or fall rate of some 71 per cent for officers who were
questioned in a survey of four tournaments. Concussions and head
injuries were not uncommon, with exceptionally aggressive players such
as Patton suffering numerous head injuries. You have to be tough to play
polo.
Major George S. Patton Jr., head of the 1922 Army Team that won the Junior Championship, commented in an article that
“The
virtue of polo as a military accomplishment rests on the following: it
makes a man think fast while he is excited; it reduces his natural
respect for his own safety - that is, makes him bold; it ... teach[es]
restraint under exciting circumstances ... nearest to mounted combat;
makes riding worthwhile; keeps a man hard ... [and] teach[es] better
horse management.”
Also Lucian K. Truscott, who went on to become one of WW II’s most highly regarded Army commanders, always credited the sport with helping to develop a successful commander’s qualities. Polo’s hard riding intensity at times was indeed similar to combat. In fact, one of reasons Truscott, the chief architect of the Army Ranger concept in early 1942, was chosen for this role by Eisenhower was his well-known abilities with the sport.
Reports from the Army Polo Association described the sport as a “vital professional asset,” that improved players’ aggressiveness, decision making skills, teamwork and physical fitness.
Finally, a review of rosters from the period lists a significant number of notable Army division, corps and army commanders who went onto achieve prominence both before and during the Second World War. A review of APA officers with a recorded handicap during the interwar period includes such renowned Army leaders as Herr, Chaffee, Patton, Truscott, Wainwright, Simpson, Gerhardt, Devers, Allen, Harmon, Holbrook, and Swift.
* * * * * *
http://www.gwpda.org/comment/huachuca/HI2-17.htm
http://www.rosehillpoa.com/page/16939~340358/History-of-Polo
https://www.rsu.edu/centennial/1930.asp
http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/20thcentury/articles/poloinusarmy.aspx
https://www.rsu.edu/centennial/1919.asp
Friday, April 11, 2014
The Last Campaign - Adventures in Mexico
General Álvaro Obregón, General Francisco Villa Arámbula,
General John J. Pershing and George S. Patton Jr on the International Bridge
between Ciudad Juárez and El Paso on August 27, 1914.
Following U.S. protests Mexico's President Venustiano Carranza undertook to deal with Villa but insisted that the U.S. not interfere. However with the U.S. rapidly losing patience with Carranza, General Frederick Funston - U.S. commander along the border - was ordered to dispatch an armed U.S. column into Mexico in pursuit of Villa (to be taken dead or alive). To that end Funston placed General John Pershing in command of a punitive expedition of about 4,800 men to capture Villa.
The 7th, 10th, 11th, and 13th Cavalry regiments, 6th and 16th Infantry regiments, part of the 6th Field Artillery, and supporting elements crossed the border into Mexico in mid-March, followed later by the 5th Cavalry, 17th and 24th Infantry regiments, and engineer and other units.
* * * * * * *
It was on 29 March, 1916 that the first battle between the Villistas
and the soldiers took place, at San Geronimo Ranch, near the town of
Guerrero.General Pershing received intelligence regarding the location of Villa at Guerrero, 230 miles south of Columbus, so he sent a messenger to Colonel George A. Dodd to move his 370 troopers of the 7th cavalry into the area. Colonel Dodd was to ride as fast as possible to catch Villa before he moved on. When the Americans arrived at Guerrero on March 29, they had traveled about 400 miles in fourteen days, following their departure from Camp Harvey J. Jones in southern Arizona, including fifty-five miles in the seventeen hours after receiving news of Villa's position.
 |
| Colonel George A. Dodd |
According to varying sources, there were between 200 and 500 Villistas at Guerrero, spread out across the town, and for the first couple of hours after the 7th Cavalry's arrival, Dodd had his men attempt to ascertain the number of enemy forces. It wasn't until 8:00 am that the order to attack was given.
Dodd divided his command into three contingents with instructions to charge and surround the town in order to cut off the Villistas's avenue of escape. When the American charged, fighting erupted at three points. After the charge the Americans dismounted to fight the Mexicans on foot.
During the five-hour battle, over 75 of Villa's men were killed or wounded and he was forced to retreat into the mountains. Only five of the Americans were hurt, none of them fatally. The battle is considered the single most successful engagement of the expedition and it was the closest Pershing's men came to capturing Villa.
Guerrero was flanked by mountains on two sides which made it difficult to surround the town and the Villistas used them for cover. There were also not enough cavalrymen to cover all of the escape routes so the majority of the Mexicans got away, including Pancho Villa. Part of the Villista army mounted up and retreated east through a valley. They were pursued by some of the American cavalrymen in a ten mile running engagement.
* * * * * * *
Official Report of the Dispersal of Villa's Forces by General John Pershing
San Geronimo Ranch,March 30, 1916
Dodd struck Villa's command, consisting of 500, 6 o'clock, March 29th, at Guerrero.
Villa, who is suffering from a broken leg and lame hip, was not present. Number Villa's dead known to be thirty, probably others carried away dead. Dodd captured two machine guns, large number horses, saddles, and arms. Our casualties, four enlisted men wounded, none seriously.
Attack was surprise, the Villa troops being driven in a ten-mile running fight and retreated to mountains northeast of railroad, where they separated into small bands.
Large number Carranzista prisoners, who were being held for execution, were liberated during the fight.
In order to reach Guerrero, Dodd marched fifty-five miles in seventeen hours and carried on fight for five hours.
Eliseo Hernandez, who commanded Villa's troops, was killed in fight. With Villa permanently disabled, Lopez wounded, and Hernandez dead, the blow administered is a serious one to Villa's band.
* * * * * * *
31 March, 1916 found the 10th Cavalry deep in Chihuahua, Mexico.
They had been scouting for signs of villistas for two weeks and were
in camp at San Diego del Monte when a snowstorm struck, cutting them off
from contact with headquarters and General Pershing.
Failing to receive any orders or information from his superior, Colonel William C. Brown, commanding the regiment, decided to move with the 2d Squadron toward the last reported action at Guerrero, leaving the 1st Squadron under Major E. W. Evans in camp. It was the right move.
At 13:15 on April 1st near the village of Agua Caliente, Brown's force encountered some 150 villistas under General Beltran at a ranch where they had taken refuge.
 |
| Captain Selwyn D. Smith |
The highlight of the fight occurred when some of the Mexicans took up a strong position behind a stone wall to pour fire on the Americans. Brown ordered Major Young to charge the position with troops H and F, and the soldiers, buoyed by the prospect of being part of the first real cavalry charge since the Spanish-American War, leapt to the saddle, drew their .45s, and swept down on the villistas' wall. As they increased their speed to the gallop, withholding their fire, they began to yell, and the Mexicans ran off into the woods to their rear.
Captain Troxel described the outcome of the clash:
... We never saw these Villistas as opponents again. ... None of our men were hit and the horses were the only part of our command that had not enjoyed the skirmish. One horse was wounded, one of mine dropped exhausted, one died that night, we killed one the next morning, and one could just get along by being led. I do not know the loss of the animals in other troops.
...We captured several ponies and mules and part of their pack train. We know of three Mexicans killed, and reports from Mexican sources, as noted in American papers, gave their casualties as forty-two, but I doubt the number and do not believe any of our officers think we got that many. As they were never out in the open, and as it was a running fight, we had no opportunity to look for their casualties nor did we particularly care to do so.
* * * * * * *
It soon became plain that Mexicans, from railway employees to
Carranza's commanders, would do all they could to thwart American
efforts to find Pancho Villa. |
| Frank Tompkins, shown here as a colonel. |
"There was among the people a resentment toward us that was clearly shown in the brazen false news they disseminated. Practically all information from native sources was either entirely misleading, or if based on fact, located Villa's band at places several days later than the actual date. ...Several Mexicans frankly said that they would consider it a national disgrace if the Americans should capture Villa."
A Dangerous Shift
Colonel Frank Tompkins led the deepest penetration into Mexico when the column under his command arrived at Parral in the early morning of 12 April. The Constitutionalist commander of the city, General Ismael Lozano, informed Major Tompkins that coming to the city was a bad idea and that he must leave immediately. Tompkins agreed so the Americans left Parral not long after getting there.
On the way out of town, a group of Mexicans began shouting "Viva Villa", and other phrases, so Tompkins shouted the same back. A few minutes later, as the column was just outside of town, a cavalry of about 550 Carrancistas launched an attack on the American column.
Within the first few shots a sergeant standing next to Tompkins was hit with a bullet and killed while a second man was seriously wounded. Heavily outnumbered, the major had no choice but to keep going so he dismounted a rear guard to take up positions on a small hill and engage the pursuing Mexicans.
In this first skirmish an estimated twenty-five Mexicans were killed and the rest were driven off. The guard then regrouped with Tompkins' main force where they withstood another attack. During the second skirmish, an estimated forty-five Mexicans were killed. Tompkins continued his march to Santa Cruz de Villegas, a fortified town, eight miles from Parral, that the Americans could defend.
Though by the time of their arrival the fighting had ceased. The Mexicans were not far away, Tompkins was facing the possibility of his 100 man force being besieged by hundreds of Carrancistas, so he sent out dispatch riders for reinforcements.
On hearing of the attack on Tompkins, Colonel William C. Brown raced his 10th Cavalry to reinforce him. Within minutes the Buffalo Soldiers were in the saddle and moving to Santa Cruz de Villegas where Tompkins was reported to be making a stand. An hour later, with darkness falling, the buglers of the 10th sounded some calls and a faint answering call let them know that they were at the American camp.
The force of Buffalo Soldiers, troopers of the 2nd squadron of the 10th Cavalry, were under the command of Major Charles Young, the third African-American graduate of West Point. It was the same Major Young who had led a cavalry pistol charge against Pancho Villa's forces at Agua Caliente (1 April 1916), where the 10th Cavalry had routed the opposing forces without losing a single man.
It was obvious that the beleaguered Tompkins was glad to see the relief force come up. Captain Rodney was among those first 10th cavalrymen to ride into Tompkins' position and he recounted the scene.
The sound of our hoofbeats brought Tompkins to the gates and he gave us a warm welcome. He had bee wounded in the arm and he had injured a leg by falling over some hasty entrenchments that he had been supervising, and he was glad to see us. As we splashed through the ford he shouted to us. I can hear his words yet.
Major Charles Young, one of the six Negro officers of the Army and our Squadron Commander, was riding by me at the head of the advance guard when Tompkins sighted him and called out,
"By God! They were glad to see the Tenth Cavalry at Santiago in '98, but I'm a damn sight gladder to see you now. I could kiss every one of you!"
Young grinned and called back.
"Hello, Tompkins! You can start in on me right now."
There was no further talk of kissing....
Because of his exceptional leadership of the 10th Cavalry in the Mexican theater of war, Young was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in September 1916. He was assigned as commander of Fort Huachuca, the base in Arizona of the Tenth Cavalry, nicknamed the "Buffalo Soldiers", until mid 1917.
He was the first African American to achieve the rank of colonel in the US Army.
* * * * * * *
May 14, 1916Second Lt. George S. Patton and his force, riding in Dodge touring autos, approach the San Miguelito Ranch from the south, appropriately at high noon.
Patton positions two carloads—eight soldiers and a guide—at the southern wall around the hacienda and its two gates. He and the remaining two soldiers and a guide park their car northwest of the compound. They make their way east along the low north wall, heading toward the big arch of the main gate.
Patton carries a rifle in his left hand, with his right on the pistol butt at his hip. He is almost at the gate when three horsemen dash out of the hacienda into the courtyard and head southeast. They run right into the Americans stationed there.
The Mexicans immediately wheel around and charge toward Patton. Bullets whiz around the lieutenant as he pulls his Colt single action from its holster and returns fire.
One bullet breaks the left arm of the lead rider, who is later identified as Capt. Julio Cardenas, a close aide to Pancho Villa. Another shot takes down his horse. The wounded man scrambles for cover as Patton retreats to a wall to reload. The other two Mexican riders split up, trying to escape.
Patton sees one of them go by and shoots the horse in the hip, knocking down the mount and the soldier. In an act of chivalry, the American waits for the Mexican to extricate himself, stand up and pull his weapon—only then does Patton (and a couple of his men) shoot and kill him.
The third Villista has almost made good his escape, riding hard some 100 yards east of the hacienda. Patton holsters his pistol and aims his rifle. He and several of his command open up. The Mexican falls dead in the dust.
Meanwhile, in the confusion, Cardenas has exited on foot through the southwest gate and is running for some fields. One of Patton’s guides, an ex-Villista named E.L. Holmdahl, catches up with the wounded man, who falls to the ground and puts up his good, right arm in a sign of surrender. Holmdahl approaches with a drawn revolver to take the Mexican into custody. Cardenas drops his hand and pulls his pistol. His shot misses. Holmdahl puts a bullet in the captain’s head.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
The Surrender of Geronimo
(By LIEUTENANT CHARLES B. GATEWOOD, 6th U. S. Cavalry.)
 |
| Kayitah and Martine |
Our party was organized at Fort Bowie, Arizona: the two Indians ; George Wratten, interpreter ; Frank Huston, packer, and myself. Later, "Old Tex" Whaley, a rancher, was hired as courier. We were furnished with the necessary riding and pack mules ; but upon mention of our twenty-five soldiers, the commanding officer showed so little desire to part with so large a portion of his command that we forbore to insist. Whereupon he seemed much relieved and promised cordially that my escort should be supplied from the command of Captain Stretch, south of us at Cloverdale near the Mexican line.
We set out, and in three days arrived at Cloverdale. There we found that a company of infantry at very reduced strength, ten broken-down horses and a six-mule team comprised the whole outfit. Captain Stretch having been my instructor at West Point, it did not seem right that I should rob him of his whole command. Instead, we merely accepted his invitation to dinner, and then journeyed on into Mexico.
Soon after crossing the line, we fell in with a troop of the Fourth Cavalry under Lieutenant James Parker, with Infantry detachments under Lieutenants Richardson and Bullard, a total of some thirty to forty men—again too few to furnish my escort without disrupting the command. We went on together to Carretas, Mexico, and, as Parker had no news of the hostiles, I waited there five days with him, for news and to recuperate from old injuries revived by the ride from Bowie.
I decided to get in touch with the command of Captain Lawton, who had excellent facilities for gathering information, in the hope that he knew where the hostiles were. We started out, accompanied by Parker's command, and on August 3rd arrived in Lawton 's camp on the Arros River, high up in the Sierra Madre Mountains, some two hundred and fifty miles by trail below the border. Lawton had no information of the hostiles' whereabouts, nor any news of them within two weeks. Having no escort—which I should of course have taken from Bowie —I put myself under Lawton 's orders, with the distinct understanding, however, that when circumstances permitted I should be allowed to execute my mission. Parker with his command returned north.
While on the Arros River, news came that the hostiles were far to the northwest. We moved in that direction, and about the middle of August learned that Geronimo 's party was near Fronteras, Mexico, making some overtures to the Mexicans on the subject of surrender. My little party, with an escort of six men that Lawton gave me, left the command about two o'clock that morning and at night camped near Fronteras, having marched about eighty miles.
The next morning at Fronteras, we learned that two squaws from the hostile camp had been there with offers of peace to the Mexicans, and had departed, going east, with three extra ponies well laden with food and mescal, the strong drink of Mexico. Lieutenant Wilder, of our army, had talked with them in regard to their surrendering.
II
In the meantime, the Prefect of the district had secretly brought about two hundred Mexican soldiers into Fronteras and was planning to entice the Apaches there, get them drunk, and then kill all the men and enslave all the women and children.
Geronimo told me later that never for a moment had he intended surrendering to the Mexicans, but wished merely to deceive them for a while so that his band could rest, buy supplies and have a good drunk. The Prefect did not suspect that; and he was much annoyed at the presence of the American troops and tried to get them to leave; but, since the treaty between the two republics gave them the right to be there, his request availed him nothing. But he demanded that the Americans should not follow the squaws, with implied threats if we did.
Taking an escort of six or eight men that Wilder gave me from his troop, and Tom Horn and Jose Maria as additional interpreters, I started as though for Lawton 's camp, twenty miles or more to the south ; but after going about six miles we quickly darted up a convenient arroyo and circled around toward the north, so as to strike the trail of the squaws. We picked it up about six miles east of Fronteras. Then, from time to time, members of the escort were sent back to tell Lawton where the trail was leading.
Slowly and cautiously, with a piece, of flour sacking on a stick to the fore as a white flag, we followed the squaws for the next three days, over rough country full of likely places for ambush. By the third day the trail was very fresh ; and we found where it joined that of the main body. It entered the head of a narrow canyon, leading down to the Bavispe River about four miles away—a canyon so forbidding that our two Indians, who were ahead, stopped to consider the situation. Hung up in a bush just before us was a pair of faded canvas trousers, which might be a signal for us to go forward without fear, and again might not. Everybody gave a different opinion of what should be done, and we finally went on all together—an unwise formation—but that canyon proved to be harmless, and then I was sorry I had not been brave and gone ahead.
A few miles farther, we reached and crossed the Bavispe River, near its most northerly sweep where, after flowing north, it makes a wide bend and flows south. Here we made our camp for the night in a cane-brake just under a small, round hill that commanded the surrounding country for half a mile. With a sentinel on the hill, with the two Indians scouting the trail several miles beyond and with the hiding places the cane-brake afforded, we felt fairly safe ; though this peace commission business did not at all appeal to us. The white flag was high upon the stalk of a nearby century plant, but we all felt that it took more than any flag to make us bullet proof. As it turned out, Geronimo saw us all the time but never noticed the flag, though he had good field glasses; and he wondered greatly what fool small party it was dogging his footsteps.
About sundown that day Martine returned and reported that the hostiles occupied an exceedingly rocky position high up in the Torres Mountains in the bend of the Bavispe, some four miles from our camp. Both Indians had been there and had delivered General Miles' message; and Geronimo, keeping Kayitah with him, had sent back Martine to say that he would talk with me only, and that he was rather offended because I had not come straight into his camp myself. Knowing Geronimo, I had my opinion of that ; but Natchez, the real chief if there was any, sent word that we would be safe as long as we started no trouble, and he invited me to come up right away. His influence among the band being greater than any other, I felt much easier; especially since Lawton 's Scouts, thirty in number, under Lieutenant R. A. Brown, had arrived in camp, and Lawton, with the rest of his command, was supposed to be near. It was too late to visit the hostiles' camp that night, so we remained in the canebrake.
III
 |
| Geronimo |
It took but a minute to say,
"Surrender, and you will be sent with your families to Florida, there to await the decision of the President as to your final disposition. Accept these terms or fight it out to the bitter end."
A silence of weeks seemed to fall on the party. They sat there with never a movement, regarding me intently. I felt the strain. Finally, Geronimo passed a hand across his eyes, then held both hands before him making them tremble and asked me for a drink.
"We have been on a three days' drunk with the liquor the Mexicans sent us from Fronteras," he said. "But our spree passed off without a single fight, as you can see by looking at the men in this circle, all of whom you know. There is much wine and mescal in Fronteras and the Mexicans and Americans are having a good time. We thought perhaps you had brought some with you."
I explained that we had left too hurriedly to bring any liquor, and he seemed satisfied. Then he proceeded to talk business. They would leave the war-path only on condition that they be allowed to return to their reservation, reoccupy their farms, be furnished with the usual rations, clothing and farming implements, and be guaranteed exemption from punishment. If I were empowered to grant these modest demands the war could end right there !
 |
| Nelson A. Miles |
When their caucus had adjourned it was noon, so we all had a bite to eat. After lunch we reassembled. Geronimo announced that they were willing to cede all of the southwest except their reservation, but that to expect them to give up everything, and to a nation of intruders, was too much ; they would move back on the little land they needed, or they would fight until the last one of them was dead.
"Take us to the reservation—or FIGHT!"
was his ultimatum as he looked me in the eye.I couldn't take him to the reservation; I couldn't fight; neither could I run, nor yet feel comfortable.
IV
 |
| Natchez & Wife |
Next morning there was still no pack-train, and we learned it had wandered off many miles on a wrong trail. But our Indian charges again saw to it that we did not go hungry. We reached Guadalupe Canyon on the boundary line. Some months previously the hostiles had killed three or four troopers of a detachment stationed here. Both parties started to go into camp near the springs which are the only water within several miles when, suddenly, our Indians, who had manifested uneasiness since their arrival, began to mount their ponies and leave camp, women and children going first. Then I learned that some of the command had become inflamed with angry desires for vengeance for the killing of their comrades and were proposing to attack the Indians. Lawton was temporarily absent. Seeing Geronimo going up the trail, I immediately rode after him; but out of the canyon they all took up a lively trot, and I had to gallop my mule to overtake the old man.
The troops having followed slowly without any hostile move, we came down to a walk. After some conversation, Geronimo asked me what I would do if the troops fired upon his people. I replied that I would try to stop it, but, failing that, would run away with him. Natchez, who had joined us, said,
"Better stay right with us lest some of our men believe you treacherous and kill you."
I cautioned them to keep the best possible look-out for any of the numerous bodies of troops in that region. We went a few miles farther, and, Lawton having returned, camped, but spent an uneasy night.
Through all this, as well as previously on several occasions, the Indians had been urging me to run away with them into the mountains near Fort Bowie, to get into communication with General Miles direct. But I knew the General was not at Bowie, and I feared that if I left them to locate him they might easily be attacked by one of our many columns or by the Mexicans and run out of the country; so I argued strongly against their plan.
Our troubles were not over, for the next day there was again some hot headed talk of killing Geronimo. Present conditions were difficult for me, if not impossible ; so I told Lawton I wished to join another command, that I had been ordered simply to deliver a message, and had done that and, more was not required. He stressed the necessity of my remaining, spoke of the "trouble" we would both be in if the Indians left, and wound up by saying that he would if necessary use force to keep me. I stayed.
VII
About the last of August, we arrived at Skeleton Canyon, Arizona, and General Miles came September 3rd. Geronimo lost no time in being presented ; and the General confirmed the terms of surrender. Geronimo turned to me, smiled, and said in Apache,
"Good, you told the truth!"
Then he shook hands with General Miles and said that no matter what the others did he was going with him. But in the meantime, Natchez with most of the band was several miles out in the mountains, mourning for his brother who had gone back to Mexico a few days before for a favorite horse and who, he feared, had been killed. Since Natchez was the real chief, and Geronimo only his Secretary of State, his presence was necessary to complete the surrender. At Geronimo's suggestion, I took the interpreters and the two Scouts and accompanied him to Natchez' camp. There I explained to Natchez that the big chief, General Miles, had arrived and that, among the Whites, a family affair like a brother's absence was never allowed to interfere with official matters. He said that, although it was hard for him to come before he knew his brother's fate, he wished to avoid any seeming disrespect to the big chief and therefore would come at once. He gathered his people together, came in and was as much pleased with General Miles as was Geronimo
General Miles wanted to take the two leaders on ahead with him to Bowie, thus separating them from their band. But they were still very suspicious, or had been up to that time, and it required no little diplomacy to get them to consent, which they finally did. They made the trip in one day—the rest of us taking three.
The surrender of Geronimo and his band was complete !
From Bowie the Indians were sent to Florida, after a delay in Texas; and finally were removed to Alabama—for them a grimly suggestive name, for it means,
"Here We Rest."
(*Copy slightly condensed from the original manuscripts and notes.)Saturday, March 8, 2014
Ride Like a Trooper! - School of the Trooper
Riding is Training and Training is Riding
The American Cavalry Method
Having been involved with horses for most of my life,
training both horse and rider, the subject is near and dear. Spending five
months with the First Cavalry Horse Platoon, back in 1979, one would think I
learned about the American Cavalry Method, there, but that was not the case. By
1979 the Cavalry had lost the knowledge of its own heritage, its roots.
We rode, almost daily, shot balloons, sliced watermelons
with sabres, and rode in parades and the weekly retreat ceremony, but never
studied the techniques laid out in the Cavalry Manual. There wasn’t even have a
copy of the Manual in the Unit.
That knowledge came later. The primary lesson to be learned,
about horses, is control. Because without control there is no safety and
without safety, it is not fun. Controling the horse, requires controling
yourself and a sense of balance, emotional and physical, both
Why would a big, strong, active animal (like a horse) be
interested in becoming a friend and servant to man is a real mystery. Looking
back on the history of the world, we have to wonder what it would look like to
day if it were not for our friend -- the horse.
In the Western part
of the United States, the horse still plays an important part in the life of a
great many folks. Every day, people move here from other parts of the world;
many have getting a horse high on their ‘want’ list. I know it was true for
me and it could well be true for you, no matter where you live in the USA.
I mentioned that the importance of the horse being the
servant of man. We can safely say that horses are not ambitious. They are
looking for comfort, safety and friendship, along with, food and water as
needed. As a general rule, it would be safe to say that when dealing with
horses, the worst thing you can do is to hurt the horse. The memory system
within the horse is very strong. It makes him relatively easy to train; but, it
also can make him fearful of someone’s
action.
As you look at a
horse as a friend and servant, you possibly envision riding your mount in some
exercise or discipline. As mentioned, horses are easy to train, but you should
realize that training a horse takes not only the right attitude, but a system
to follow that will give you the right results.
The American Cavalry had that system down, pat.
As you take a look at the system to be followed, we can
start with a horse, male or female, at about 3 years old. By this age, he or
she is big enough to handle the training to which it will be exposed. This is
the beginning of his basic training. There are at least eight actions that are
expected at the end of basic training:
Accept tack and
equipment used by the rider.
Stand quietly when tied to the rail or other unmovable
object
Can be mounted and dismounted without moving
Does back up when required, under control
Goes forward when cued, under control
Turns right or left on request
Stops when cued to do so
When the horse can be
successfully and safely managed covering all those points, the horse could be
considered to be ‘broke
to ride’.
To reach this level, you can follow various paths -- acquire
a young horse and do it yourself (not recommended) -- buy a young horse and
have a competent trainer -- buy an older horse that has been used by his owner
in an activity in which you hope to be active -- and advance, if
necessary, with the help of a trainer.
If you have not already made a decision with regard to how
you are going to use your horse the time for a decision is fast approaching --
English or Western styles. Up to this point, the basic schooling is about the
same. The ADVENTURE starts here.You may already have an idea as to what
activity will get your attention. Hopefully, the information that is being
presented on these pages will help you to get off to a good start.
The better you understand the training of your mount, the better trainer you will be;
Riding
is Training and Training is Riding!
Everything you do
with your horse will teach you something. Don’t
hurry, take the time it takes to do it right. Remember – don’t hurt your horse.
We are looking forward to seeing you on the trail...or in
the arena.
U.S. Cavalry's Role in Modern Horsemanship
The U.S.
Cavalry provided the foundation for the equestrian industry of the U.S. It
wasn’t until 1912 in Stockholm that equestrian pursuits were routinely included
in the Olympics. Led by Capt. Guy Vernor Henry Jr. the first U.S. team was
fielded from the U.S. Cavalry.
Capt. Guy Vernor Henry Jr
In fact, until the cavalry was disbanded in 1948, every
single U.S. equestrian Olympic team was made up of members of the cavalry or
U.S. Army equestrian team; civilians were not invited to take part until the
Helsinki games in 1952, the same year women were first allowed to compete in
Olympic equestrian events.
Lieutenant Chamberlin’s early Army career were spent fulfilling the duties of a cavalry officer and he came to command of a troop of cavalry in the Garry Owen Regiment. Then in 1916 hr was a promoted to Captain and assigned to West Point as an instructor of Cavalry tactics.His immediate Commander one of the most influential cavalry officers and horsemen of the twentieth century, Lieutenant Colonel Guy V. Henry.
Returning to Fort Riley after WWI Chamberlin was assigned to the department of horsemanship. He earned a position on the 1920 US Equestrian Team which was preparing for the 1920 Olympics. The 1920 Olympics Harry Chamberlin competed in both the "Military" as the Three Day Event was then called, and in the Prix de Nations (Prize of Nations) show jumping.
From 1925-1927 Harry
Chamberlin was stationed at Fort Bliss,Texas where he taught horsemanship and
played polo. With his leadership, the 8th Cavalry Polo team won championships
in 1925 and 1926. In addition toplaying polo his regular duties and
responsibilities.
Commanding a cavalry
squadron of more than 300 troopers and 500 horses.
His squadron patrolled the
border between the U.S. and Mexico.
Chamberlin returned
to Fort Riley in 1927 to serve in the department of horsemanship. Here Harry
formally instituted the more forward riding, the balanced seat accompanied by a
shorter stirrup became the basis for all of the horsemanship instruction at
Fort Riley. Many Riley graduates knew this forward for cross-country riding and
jumping, as the "Chamberlin Seat."
The Forward Seat was adopted by the US Cavalry School
He became a member of
the Army Equestrian Team which competed at Madison Square Garden in New York,
and across Europe. He was selected to the 1928 Army Equestrian team and
competed in the Olympics in Amsterdam.
Harry Chamberlin was
captain of the record making Army Olympic team in 1932 . Once again he competed
in 3 Day Event, winning team gold, and also in Show Jumping where he won the
individual silver medal.
Harry Chamberlin’s five qualities needed to become a good horseman. - a normally alert mind
- a mind with an analytical turn asking “how” and “why”
- average physique
- regular practice
- theoretical knowledge
Because of his ability to lead men, understand horses, and comprehend the various theories of horsemanship and relate those concepts in ways that could be understood by the average cavalryman, Harry Chamberlin was probably the finest horseman ever produced by the U.S. Cavalry. He was a soldier and a horseman, laying the foundation for modern riding in the U.S.
Chamberlin’s method not only became models for the balanced
seat/eventing riders and the forward seat/hunter riders, he effected stock
seat/western riders through men like Monte Forman and John Richard Young (The
Schooling of the Western Horse 1961).
The most important principle that transfers from the Fort
Riley/Balanced Seat to any kind of riding is the rider’s base of support, which
is the lower body. It is there that the rider must balance and keep the upper
body quiet. This is called muscle group separation.
"Every rider is a horse trainer."
- Monte Foreman
One of the western riders from Fort Riley was Monte Foreman who spent his professional life working with horses-as a cowboy, arena
performer, , polo player, competitor, horse trainer, and who was amongst the
last of the instructors at the U.S. Calvary School at Fort Riley, Kansas..
Foreman was at Fort Riley when Harry D. Chamberlin, probably America’s best
rider ever, was in charge of the Cavalry School.
Foreman may well be the clearest link back to French
dressage, through the US military seat, and into contemporary western riding.
His book, Monte Foreman's Horse-Training Science is a classic and is the
keystone of knowledge to in the delvelopment the ‘Basic Handle’ system
It was at the Cavalry School where he discovered the value
of using film in the training program of
the soldiers learning to ride. Foreman used the training methods he
learned in the Cavalry to develop a program that could train both horse and rider, to move
together as one, as quickly as possible. The rider being made to understand the
mechanics of the horse. After leaving the military at the end of WWII, Foreman
went to work at the legendary King Ranch in Texas. At the King Ranch he ran the horse training and horsemanship
programs, and further developed the principles used in the ‘Basic Handle’
In writings published from 1951 to 1954 in the Western
Horseman magazine Monte Foreman made reference to Chamberlin’s writings, as
published in Riding and Training Horses, and Training
Hunters, Jumpers and Hacks
Figure 1:
“Excellent jumping: rider's weight in heels;
balance perfect; hands light; horse
contented and free”
Figure 2:
"Correct form during descent. - Note rider's
weight in heels and on knees; seat out of saddle; hands feathery light" (In many outfits
cavalrymen were taught to jump at least three feet without stirrups, maintaining the
same form. It can also be done bareback, riding the same place, same form.)
Figure 3 "Correct form in landing. Weight received
principally in heels; seat kept out of saddle by stiffening knee joints and
setting muscles of back; hands low and
soft; loins free of rider's weight which allows painless engagement of hind
legs under the belly as they come to ground." (This is the best way
invented so far to ride in balance and is timed with the horses actions. Any
time the rider's timing or balance is lost, he must hang onto something with
his hands, usually ending up with something like English riders over the
Liverpool Ditch.)
The Cavalry Horse
From the
Journal of the United States Cavalry Association,
Volume 18 /
circa – 1907
The cavalry horse must be sound, well bred, of a superior
class, and have quality: gentle and of a kind disposition, thoroughly broken to
saddle, with a light and elastic mouth, easy gaits, and free and prompt action
at the walk, trot, and gallop; free of vicious habits, without material blemish
or defect; and otherwise conform to the followin description:
A gelding of uniform and hardy color, in good condition;
from 4 to 8 years old; weighing from 950 to 1,100 pounds, depending upon
height, which should be from 15 to 15-3/4 hands.
Comanche - 7th Cavalry - Survived 'The Little Big Horn'
Head - Small and
well set on neck; with ears small, thin neat, and erect; forehead broad and
full; eyes large, prominent and mild, vision perfect in every respect, muzzle
small and fine; mouth deep; lips thin and firmly compressed; nostrils large and
fine; and branches of underjaw(adjoining neck) wide apart.
Neck - Light, moderately
long, and tapering toward he head, with crest firm and longer than the
underside; mane fine and intact.
Withers -
Elevated, not unduly fine, well developed and muscled
Shoulders - Long,
oblique, and well muscled.
Chest - Full,
very deep, moderately broad, and plump in front.
Fore Legs -
Vertical, and properly placed; with elbow large, long, prominent, and clear of
chest; forearm large at the elbow, long, and heavily muscled.
Knees - Neatly
outlined, large , prominent, wide in front, well situated, and well directed
Back - Short,
straight, and well muscled.
Loins - Broad,
straight, very short and muscular
Barrel - Large,
increasing in size towards the flanks, with ribs well arched and definitely
separated.
Hind Quarters -
Wide, thick, very long, full, heavily muscled, rounded externally, and well
directed.
Tail - Fine and
intact, well carried and firm.
Hocks -
Neatly outline, lean, large, wide from front to rear, well situated, and well
directed
Limbs - From
knees and hocks downward vertical,
short, wide laterally, with tendons and ligaments standing well out from bone
and distinctly defined.
Pasterns -
Strong, medium length, not too oblique, and well directed
Feet - Medium
size, circular in shape, sound; with horn dark, smooth, and of fine texture;
sole moderately concave, and frog well developed, sound, firm, large, elastic,
and healthy.
Each horse will
be subjected to a rigid inspection, and any animal that does not meet the above
requirements should be rejected * * * No white or gray horses will be accepted.
Based in part on
Notes on Equitation and Horse Training 1909
and The Manual of Equitation of the
French Army for 1912
Revised and Edited by Jack Hawkins
War
Department,
Office
of the Chief of Staff,
Washington, July 16, 1910.
Authority having
been obtained for the use of the Notes on
Equitation
and Horse Training, School of Application for Cavalry at
Saumur,
France, translated by Maj. George H. Cameron, Fourteenth
Cavalry, assistant
commandant, Mounted Service School, Fort Riley,
Kans., and
approved by a board of officers convened at the Mounted
Service School,
they are herewith published for the information of
the Regular Army and the Organized Militia.
Washington, April
28, 1913.
Authority having
been obtained for the use of
the Manual
of Equitation of the French Army for 1912,
translated by
First Lieut. Adna R. Chaffee, jr., Thirteenth Cavalry,
it is herewith
published for the information of
the Regular Army and OrganizedMilitia.
By order of the Secretary of War:
THE SCHOOL OF THE TROOPER
Education of the
rider. — The education of the rider supposes his horse to be trained. This
part of the instruction comprises all which is especially addressed to the man;
it describes the qualities of the instructor and the method to be followed to
develop the rider's aptitudes. Morally, it aims to establish his confidence; physically,
his muscular suppleness. It teaches the proper seat and the best means for its
maintenance, and it establishes the principles for the guiding and use of the
horse.
The seeking of these results requires the following of
fixed principles and much practice. The instruction, too, can not be the same
for all grades of the military service. Elementary equitation is that given to
recruits, and its phases are contained in The School of the Trooper, Mounted; it
comprises only what is absolutely necessary to the trooper in ranks. Secondary
equitation, whose development forms the object of this manual, is entirely
reserved for the instructors; they can draw from it the ideas to impart to the
noncommissioned officers and selected troopers in perfecting their instruction.
The superior instruction in equitation is more especiallyreserved
for officers who, besides accuracy and the practice of bold riding, should
endeavor toacquire all the "finesse" of the art. This is the object
of the riding instruction given at the Cavalry School.
These several degrees of instruction differ from each
other only in their extent and in the indication of more or less elementary
or scientific methods according to the abilities of the riders to whom they are
addressed; they rest on the same principles and tend toward the
same object, and insure a harmony of instruction which is indispensable to the
proper use and the progress of the Cavalry.
Ends to seek. —
The preparatory work described in the regulations very briefly, involves some
developments, from the instructor's point of view, without which this work will
not produce the expected results.The successive objects to be attained in this first
part of the instruction are: To give confidence to the rider; togive him means
for holding on; to lead him to acquire independence in the use of his aids; to
give him the proper position of the trooper mounted.
Establishing the
confidence of the rider. — The mounted instruction of the recruit is
hindered at the beginning by anunreasoning, instinctive revolt of his nervous
and muscular systems which leads to contraction. This is combated by vaulting
and by having the recruits rideby the side of older men who hold the recruits'
horses by the longe, by encouraging them, by establishing their confidence, and
by out-of-door work.
The particular contractions which show up from the
beginning of individual work will disappear under the use of the suppling
exercises prescribed in the School of the Trooper.
In order to miss none of their useful effects one must
follow a logical order; commence by the seat, the loins, the shoulders, the
arms and head, and not undertake the movements of the thighs and legs until
ease in the top of the body is obtained.
The best suppling, however, is good humor, which leads
promptly and directly to
confidence.
Maintenance of
position — As soon as confidence is obtained, we must fix the rider in his
seat in order to push his instruction. The rider is maintained in his saddle by
his seat and the stirrups.
(a)The seat. — Seat is that quality which permits the rider to remain
master of his balance in all circumstances,whatever may be the reactions of the
horse.
It is the first quality to be sought, because it is the
basis of solidity, and therefore of confidence, and it is the measure of a good
hand without which neither management nor training is possible.
It results from a general decontraction, particularly
from suppleness of the loin. The road to it is opened by appropriate
gymnastics, and it is acquired after a time from trotting and galloping without
stirrups and from riding many different horses. These alone put the rider truly
with his horse.
However, this result requires long practice; and in
seeking too much in the beginning, we risk soreness and fatigue—and go contrary
to the end in view.
(b)The stirrups.—
It is necessary, then, in order to quickly give confidence to recruits, to have
recourse to a second means of maintenance—not so good, but sufficient—which
will permit them to remain mounted longer and to progress without chafing and
without hurting the mouths of their horses—the stirrups.
The trot without stirrups will rarely be used except in
the riding hall or for short trips out of doors as a suppling or proof of the
decontraction. The time of the trotting will at first be short and frequent,
then lengthened little by little, to push down the thighs and place the seat;
all of the riding-hall work, including jumping, can then be done without
stirrups.
Routine work, long sessions out of doors, marches and maneuvers,
in one word—time—accomplishes the end begun without stirrups in the preparatory
work, and will give the men as good a seatas they can acquire in their short
term of service.
By this means one will gain the time necessary to devote
to the second part of the instruction, the management of the horse.
Special gymnastics
for the rider.— The management of the horse depends on the independence of
the aids—the base of their future accord. This independence is the result of
special exercises towhich the young rider should be submitted from the beginning
of the preparatory work.
The instructor endeavors to obtain:
(1) The independence
of the hands with respect to the movements of the body and legs.
To obtain this result he commands the flexions of the
trunk, more and more marked forward, backward, right and left, suppling of the
shoulders, etc. In all these movements the hand or hands which hold the reins
should remain in place without stiffness, in contact with the horse's mouth,
but independent of the movements of the trunk. And so too with the legs, the
raising and turning of the thighs, and the bending of the knees should produce
no counter blow against the horse's mouth.
(2) The inepndence of hands and legs with respect to each
other
In order to obtain this liberty the instructor will
command all suppling exercises tending to isolate and to render independent the
movements of a hand or a leg with respect to each other. The most useful
movements to obtain the result sought are the rotation of one arm to the rear;
fist blows to the front and rear, tapping the horse on the right buttock with
the left hand, and vice versa, girthing and loosening the girth, etc. The
instructor watches always to see that the movement of one of these parts of the
body does not lead to movement of the others. The results of this work are
proved by extending the gait, sitting to the trot or trotting without stirrups.
If this gymnastic work has been well directed, the joints and members have
acquired an independence such that the reactions of the horse, received by the
spinal column, have no deranging effect on the rider's hand, which remains
light and steady.
From the beginning the riders must be impressed with the
importance of these exercises. It is necessary to see,besides, that they
neither let the reins flop nor make too much use of their strength. In a word,
one should seek to teach them to just feel the horse's mouth. This feeling, in
developing little by little, will serve to establish the principle of the
stretched reins and of the gentle contact of the hand with the horse's mouth.
It must be spoken of, and sought from the beginning.
Position of the
rider.— This is defined in the Drill Regulations. By reason of the positions
given them, the superior and inferior aids can act with a maximum of
promptness, aptness, intensity, and "finesse."
Certain of the suppling exercises facilitate the play of
the joints, and permit the correction of physical defects and the overcoming of
the resulting contractions. A general suppleness being acquired, the instructor
seeks a new objective, to place the rider and then to fix his position at all
gaits, on all horses, and over all terrain.
When the instructor commences to take up position he
should utilize the first time at the walk to place each rider individually
before starting the section to trot. As soon as the positions are deranged, he
must retake the walk, replace the riders, and start off again. Whence comes the
necessity, at the beginning, for short and frequent periods at the trot? Thus,
good positions will be acquired.
Fixity on horseback is the absence of all involuntary or
useless movement and the reduction to strict necessity of those that are
indispensable. It is the opposite of bouncing. It permits the aids to act with
precision and exactitude, and in consequence it leads to calmness in the horse
and contributes to his lightness.
It must be understood that regularity in the position is
subordinate to union with the horse. To be with his horse is the first quality
in the rider. To be well placed generally leads to being with the horse; there
are, however, some conformations which would only lose by being forced into
position.
A good position of the rider depends above all on the
manner in which his eyes, hands, buttocks, and knees are placed.
(a) The fact of having his eyes alert and sweeping the
horizon will lead to the rider's holding his head up, keeping his chest square,
and sitting down in the saddle. Further, from the beginning, the men learn the
habit of observing what goes on around them.
(b) If the hands are well placed, separated as they
should be, the nails face each other, the elbows come against the body
naturally;in consequence, the shoulders fall back, the chest is free, and the
head is easily raised. On the other hand, if the nails are down, the elbows fly
out, the shoulders come forward, and close on the chest; the head follows the movement
of the shoulders, the eyes are lowered, while the buttocks tend to slide to the
rear.
(c) The seat results from the position of the buttocks.
They should be as far forward as possible without leading to an exaggerated
sinking of the spinal column.
(d) If the knees are well turned inward the muscles of
the leg are placed under the femur and the flat part of the thigh bears
naturally. The position of the knee controls that of the foot, which hangs
normally.
Suppling
exercises. — It may be seen from the above that the suppling exercises play
an important part in the instruction of the rider; but their use demands tact.
Used by some instructors, without order or method, they give only mediocre results;
by others, however,
they very quickly improve even the least gifted riders.
Considered together, the suppling exercises have a triple end, as they serve to
obtain: 1. General suppleness; 2. suppression of involuntary movement; 3.
regularity of position.
The instructor chooses and groups for these three objects
the exercises which to him appear most suitable.
In the first two cases the exercises commanded are
addressed to the whole section, since the instructor seeks a general result. In
the last case, however, the proper exercises should be selected for the
individual rider, since it is a question of overcoming an individual defect: It
must be remarked also that some of the exercises oppose each other, and when
they are used the object sought must be exactly known. Thus, the elevation of
the thighs, particularly favorable in placing the seat, evidently destroys the
benefits from the rotation of the thighs, destined to bring the flat surface to
bear and to lower the leg.
At the end of several weeks of well-conducted instruction
confidence is established; the contractions diminish. The riders commence to
find and keep a seat in the saddle, their joints are freer; in consequence
their movements are most controlled. The position is established. It is now
time to take up the management of the horse and set forth its principles.
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