Evening star., 1925-11-01

horSemanShip ever since the sunrise
of modern history, seek out the most
daring feats of equestrianiSm, add &c
these the most difficult stunts of rough
riding and the spectacular rodeo. and
YOU will have "A sum total of saddle
achievements which are only ret1ec-
tions Of what YOU may view in actual
ttN most any of these Autumn days
over at Fort Myer
Those crack riders, which YOU like
to gaze upon in paradeS and public
demonstrations. are every inch the
horsemen that they look to be-and
much more
Neither the Arabs of the Eastern
deserts. famed a : horSemen since the
dawn days when our most noble steed
was first broken for mans use. nor
The daredevil CoSsaCkS who have for
centuries ranked as the boss riders
of Europe. can excel the equestria n
prowess of our American Cavalry.
which today is the universal pace
maker in writing new riding history.
The Arabs and the Cossacks are
the fathers fathers sons of horSeman-
ship. They are the descendants of
generations of daring riders. They
spend their lives in saddles. Both
their foreGrOundS and backgrounds
center around horses and the accou-
termentS of mounted warfare. These
men acquire mastery of the riding art
because they devote all their time
to II.
Uncle Sam transforms green re.
Cruits into polished riders as adept
and courageous as the CoSSacks. as
daring and proficient as the Swarthy
Arabs. a $ sure of seat and as well
trained for mounted marathons as the
Western cowboys. in the short periods
of II to "a months.
Army efficiency is eXemplified al its
best In the rush order making of
champion cavalrymen Men who
previous to their enIiStmentS may
never have thrown legs over horses
backs mature into master cavalry
men under Uncle Sans supervision
after dozen months of training. And
because the attitude of our troopers
is the more YOU know. the more YOU
want to know, their tutelaSe is con
tinued until they gain ma Ximum excel.
lenCe in horSemanShip.
'I.o. the poor caNalrymen." was the
lament which was frequently voiced
with the advent of aviation and the
perfection of modern machine guns
and artillery. To the layma il
looked as il the extinction of the
cavalryman were parked just around
the corner. Seemed as though the
most spectacular and romantic branch
of our national service was destined
1" hear its taps"
All such adventures in crepe hang
ing have gone for naught Military
science says that. OF present. our
Cavalry forces are more essential and
effective than ever before.
THE rapidity of movement of
cavalry detachments and their
power to separate into small groups
and to mcve quickly across country
make them less vulnerable to attacks
from airplanes. machine guns or
heavy artillery than the slower-moving
troops. Cavalry attacks are now made
IN ATTENDED order where each rider
is no closer than yards To any
Of his mates. Riding in this style and
In successive waves or lines. our
Army troopers are able to advance
upon the enemy with surprisingly
small losses. This is particularly true
where the cavalry onslaught is given
fire support by modern artillery and
machine SunneTS. The etfica ciouS
utilization of mounted troops in war
fare. instead of being obsolete, is Just
beginning TO attain the greatest per
fection.
The existent roster of our American n
Cavalry regiments. which consists of
about 5000 enlisted men in all ca Daci-
ties, is not verity's best assistance in
mounted troops. Our peace-time policy
is to curtail our military strength to
minimum limits. That Is why our
Cavalry resources have been carved
down to rock bottom. Regular Cavalry
forces are now maintained at Fort
Myer, Va; Fort Riley. Kan: Fort
Ethan Allen. VT; Fort Sheridan. Ill. !
and Fort Oglethorpe, Ga The re-
mainder of the mounted troops are
concentrated along the Mexican boi-
der, with small garrisonS also in South
Dakota and Wyoming.
Enlistments for three-year periods
are almost constantly on tap, to re-
place the men who leave the service. f!
die or are fncapacitated. over at Fort !
Myer, for example. where squadrons |
of the 3rd Cavalry are stationed |
rookie" troopers are being introduced |
TO such mysteries of horSemanShip |
as a firm seat. good hands riding |
form, and how to handle pistol or
saber effectively in the saddle.
The reflected skill of the teachers |
is easy to visualize in the remarkable |
progress which the novtiates make |
In mastering the riddles of horse |
"logy." Expert officers who have been |
trained In the special Cavalry schools |
now maintained for that purpose work |
wonders in molding ordinary men into !
proficient riders In short periods. The |
cid doctrine, which says that ii takes |
Years Of practice and experience to |
make finished rider. is being violated
over at Fort Myer where green volun- /
teers are converted into skillful riders |
within a 12-month period
The riding teachers are officers wen !
trained in every angle of equestrian !
ship and also proficient in the rough |
riding of the Western plains and the !
spectacular stunts" of the tanbark !,
circus ring. In fact. it is as much fun |
as visit TO six-ring "big-tent" |
show to drop in at the Fort Myer rid |
ing hall some day when the rockies" |
are learning the fundamentals of |
thorough horsema nship.
The newcomers in the service begin !
their instruction on well trained quiet ;
horses. They are taught the proper
form in riding. They are schooled in
the points of what constitute good seat
and good hands. The rockies gain
confidence as they attain saddling pro-
ticiency. This confidence is acquired
without frightening the new troopers
that they get "horseshy." Again
and again, the men practice simple
exercises. They are taught to ride
with complete relaxation and practice
suppling exercises while in the sad
die. AS they master these rudimen-
tary practices, their activities are
focused on more difficult feats. If any
of the men fall or show that they are
being pushed too rapidly. the teachers
ease up the schedule bit. and start
in gain on the simpler forms of work.
THE enthusiasm and interest of the
men in riding are aroused. AS
they progress their confidence in
creases. They become skillful in exer-
cjseG and featS of horSerna nShiD which