Charge of the Wonder Horse

Photos by George Peters

My past experiences with riding Apache in ceremonies have been somewhat exciting. That is, they have been more exciting then they should have been. Today was no exception.

I wish there was some way to train Apache in military ceremonies without actually participating in them, but there isn't. It doesn't matter how many sessions we put in on the jogging track because all training goes out the window once we line up for a pistol charge. Today, to make thing more interesting, I carried the troop colors which seriously limits what you can do with the reins. That is not a good situation when you sit atop the Wonder Horse.

Everything was going pretty well until we stepped onto the parade ground. Apache immediately began digging a hole in the ground. He was pawing the ground so vigorously that at times it felt like he was rearing up. I would pop the reins periodically to get him to stop, but he would soon start again. I remarked to my fellow riders that if he dug the hole any deeper, we would disappear completely from the ceremony and all you would see would be the spear point sticking out of the field.


Apache standing in the hole he has dug for himself

Apache did fairly well during the cannon salute to the general as such things don't bother him so much. Unfortunately, the anchor horse to my right departed the formation which unnerved Apache and caused him to rotate out of position. He also had no problem with the guidon flapping in his face, although he did try to bite it once or twice.

When it came time to do the pass in review, Apache performed fairly well. He stayed in formation throughout although I had to use lots of leg pressure to keep him straight past the reviewing stand. Some of the other horses were having trouble with this part because of the marching band and I was afraid Apache would act up when he saw his buddies acting up, but fortunately he stayed on all four hooves. I had an image in my mind of him rearing up in front of the official party but, with some effort on my part, he marched right past without incident.


B Troop setting up for the charge as the band departs the field.

The next part got scary. After the pass-in-review we parked to the side and let the band play the service medleys before we marched onto the field for our charge. Apache began crow hopping as soon as we stepped onto the field. He pranced and hopped all the way down the field and when we executed a flanking movement to set up for the charge, it felt like I was riding a barrel of dynamite ready to go off. When the troop commander ordered a gallop, Apache exploded off the line. He was instantly moving at race horse speed. I heard the howitzers from the salute battery go off behind us as we pounded up the field. Apache drifted slightly to the left into another rider's lane, so I tried to move him back, but we were moving so fast it was really too late. We flew past the gazebo at the top of the field and I began to despair that I was not going to be able to stop him before we departed the field entirely and wound up somewhere in Mexico. Finally, thank God, I was able to stop him, or maybe he just stopped because the other horses had stopped.

We reformed, or rather, I rejoined the rest of the formation because we were off by ourselves. Once formed, we marched back down the field to pose for photos. As the adrenaline wore off, I began to feel the pain in my muscles from the effort of stopping the Wonder Horse in his rampage. Of course, the ordeal wasn't over. All the other horses calm down the second the charge is over. Not Apache. He remains an unmanageable beast for at least a half hour after the event.

I'm hoping in time, Apache will calm down and become easier to ride in ceremonies. Maybe when he is in his twenties. I hope I live long enough to see that day.