Dead Bolt

Photos by Ty Holland

Last Saturday we practiced charges on Brown Parade field on Fort Huachuca. This is where we normally conduct our ceremonies and I wanted the new riders to get some experience in a controlled charge before they have to do it in front of an audience. I also wanted to work with the horses as they tend to get out of control during the pistol charge. Instead of a controlled charge where everyone is on line, it turns into a mad dash to see who can finish first.



The calm before the storm--the Troop rides to the parade field

With cavalry horses you have to not only train your horse individually, you have to train as a group. If you want your horses to move together, you have to train them together. This is also how the Army used to conduct charges. Horses were moved in a line starting out at a walk, then a trot, then a controlled gallop so the entire force would arrive at the enemy position simultaneously for maximum effect. To train the horses this way, I started out moving everyone up and down the parade field at a walk. When I could see that everyone was able to control their horses (the horses get very excited on the parade field), I had them go to a trot about half way up the field. Once everyone could move their horse up the entire length of the field at a trot without breaking the line, we moved to a gallop. The training worked very well and both riders and horses performed as expected. Even Apache, who has the peculiar ability to gallop in place, was able to hold the line.



What a controlled charge is supposed to look like

However, for the final charge, I reversed the order of the line to add variety. Big mistake. Apache was used to being on the left of the line and now I had him on the right side of the line. Up to that point, I was able to control him with a single rein. Once we began the charge, he started out okay, but then broke into a flat out bolt. I had anticipated this and had a plan to use S-turns to slow him down. Unfortunately, there was no controlling him once he began the bolt. I'd pull on one rein and then the other but he barely responded and then cut diagonally across the field to get where he thought he was supposed to be. He is very competitive also, and when he realized another horse might beat him down the field there was no stopping him. He was so out of control and violent that I lost both stirrups. My efforts to slow him down were then replaced by an effort to get my feet back in the stirrups to improve my chances of staying in the saddle. I figured I was a dead man at this point. I was alternatively swearing at Apache and praying that I'd survive the ride. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see our photographer darting behind a tree to get out of the way. We were passing through the trees and headed for parts unknown when, for some reason, Apache came to a stop. I was angry and sore and glad to still be breathing. My thighs were burning with the effort to stay in the saddle and my hands were cramped from squeezing the reins. I turned the troopers over to the Executive Officer and asked him to lead another charge while I dismounted and worked the cramps out of my legs and hands. Apache's eyes were bloodshot and crazy looking. It is hard to stay mad at him when he is so obviously distressed.



The Wonder Horse in full bolt mode

Accept for that last episode, the Wonder Horse had done really well. I don't know what his problem is, but I need to find a solution before he kills me. The training strategy had worked for every other horse in the herd accept for Apache. Of course, when the other horses saw Apache take off, they wanted to bolt too. It is the nature of horses to want to race each other. If one horse departs the line, they all want to depart the line. The ceremony season is still a couple of months off, so hopefully, I will get this figured out. Until I do, Apache won't be participating in any ceremonies in front of an audience. The rest of the troop will, I believe, look great.



Trying to walk out the cramps