Evening star., 1925-02-15
Fort Myer Maintains Tradition,
With Unsurpassed Horsemanship

II. Irving, centers on the saddle drill.
and the maneuvers of these riders.
bearing sabers. are among the prize
offerings at the fort.
= * 4 Y
NOR is the stunt riding left to the
enlisted men alone, for the officers
also are schooled in jumping. steepie-
chasing, hunting and higher equita
ton.
Virtually all are graduates OF the
cavalry school at Fort Riley, kans.,
conceded to be the finest in the world.
Some also have broadened their edu
cation by courses in the noted French
school at Saumur and the equally ia
nous Italian Institution at Penerol.
But still their training is not con-
sidered finished, and under the vigi-
liant eye of Col. Hawkins the Sam
Drowned troopers labor no less earn
estly than the enlisted personnel TO
iron out the defects that their riding
may disclose.
Strict attention is directed to the
manner in which the officer sits his
horse. He must gait the animal &C
cording TO the best-accepted stand
ards for riding. and his carriage must
be perfect for all maneuvers. Col.
Hawkins overlooks nothing and en-
forces a. discipline that would delight
any buck" who ever did countless
Squads east" at the insistence of a
second lieutenant.
Col. Hawkins has a special squad Of
nine officers now developing school
riding, a series of difficult maneuvers
at various gaits. and when the desired
smoothness and precision are ac-
quired this squad will make it's bow
at the exhibitions.
x = x 4
A LII the time the training of the
"A men is in progress there is like
wise a. schooling for horses, for with
out a mount which can be taught to
thoroughly with the rider,
the latter's efforts go for naught.
Many of the horses at Fort Myer
come from the remount station at
Front Royal. Va, while others are
bought in the open market. Included
in the latter category are the
thoroughbreds picked up at Mary
land tracks and trained for the hur-
dies.
All are green, and the principal
requisite Is that they be even tenn
pered. Nothing can be done with an
animal of bad disposition, nor will
any effort be made to train such
one for cavalry work.
In general, a horse can be trained
lO1 III itidlISSIE Siloi
while, but for the stunt work at
least two years are necessary.
The first thing done with a horse
new to stunt work is to teach 1t TO
retain balance. To accomplish this.
the animal is worked around in
small circle. that it may become ac-
custome6 to keeping its feet while
making quick shifts. When the horse
has acquired this balancing knack,
it Is considered fitted to be trained
for the track riding, and in this -
Is the experience of long labor that
proves the determining factor.
Just how skillfully the cavalry
horse learns to perform is demon
strated by the assertion of an old
cavalry man at the fort that he has
yet to see a horse fall with a rider
while going through any acrobatics
The feature riding at Fort Myer is
all in addition to the routine work
of a soldier 1t is not compulsory.
but the recruit coming into an outfit
and showing an unwillingness ts
make a try at 1t is yet to be found.
Troop pride, if nothing else, spurs
him on.
And there's a good, solid reason
why the feature riding is pursued: !:
it builds morale.