Manpower Problems in the Cavalry

B Troop holds a Cavalry Riding School every year starting in February. The school lasts about four months and we usually get four students to sign up. The school is scheduled so that the graduates are ready to ride at the end of May just before our event schedule gets busy. This year we had four applicants for the school like we usually do. However, we have already lost two of them. One student was not able to pass the Phase I riding test and another was injured during the test. We don't know yet if the injured soldier will be able to come back and finish the school. He didn't break anything, just a badly bruised and strained back. If he can't come back, we will only have two possible graduates in May which won't be enough to sustain our numbers for the year. Many of us old timers are wanting to hang up our spurs at the end of this year and we need new blood to allow us to do so. We are considering holding a second riding school in the fall, which is a daunting thought given the level of effort required. It is tough to find people willing to ride in the cavalry. Tougher still to keep them in it once they've completed the training. It seems real cavalrymen are a dying breed.