Graduation

We finally tested in our three remaining students in the Cavalry Riding School last Thursday night. The class began on 10 Feb and ran for 3 1/2 months. The class was held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings with the lessons beginning at 5 pm and ending about 8 pm. Each student attended between 20 and 25 lessons. Some classes were missed due to injuries or work demands. However, it is an amazing process that turns inexperienced riders into men who can perform in a cavalry riding demonstration in as little as 60 hours of training. The process is not easy. We cram a lot of information into a short period of time. The recruits are tested academically as well as physically. We have three primary instructors that divide the teaching duties between themselves. Typically, an instructor only needs to ride with the students once per week but when combined with the rest of the schedule can result in the requirement to ride three or four times in a week. The school is physically demanding for both instructors and students. Although our school is not perfect I think it does a pretty good job of preparing new troopers for the rigors of cavalry riding. I hope the new troopers are as proud of their achievement as we are. Their graduation ceremony will be on Brown Parade Field on Friday at 2:30 pm.