FORT BENNING, Ga., (Nov. 25 2015) -- Seventy-eight Soldiers from across Harmony Church worked to earn their silver spurs in the 1st Squadron, 16th Cavalry Regiment's annual Spur Ride Nov.18.

Lt. Col. Jeff Paine, squadron commander for 1st Squadron, 16th Cav., said the Spur Ride is based on Cavalry tradition.

"Soldiers new to the Cavalry would have to prove themselves as foot Soldiers and prove themselves as basic Soldiers before being granted their spurs and learning to fight mounted on horseback," he said.

The U.S. Cavalry dismounted from horses in 1943, but Paine said the regiment still wants to prove Soldier and leader skills through the Spur Ride as a means of leader certification and development.

"We want to make sure they are prepared to do their jobs here and (are prepared) to go back out to the operating force and be ready to fight if called upon," he said.

The Spur Ride tests the Soldiers' abilities to be smart, fast, lethal and precise, Paine said.

To test their abilities to be smart, stations are set up to pose each team with a problem they have to work together to solve.

"They've got to navigate through all the different stations," Paine said.

Paine said moving on foot all day tests their ability to be fast.

"If they run out of time, they will miss some of the stations and be penalized for that throughout the day," he said.

Soldiers' lethality is tested by by how they perform under physical distress - being physically dominant while engaging with individual weapons and calling for artillery fires, Paine said.

Paine said a precise Soldier has to know exactly what to do.

"There has been a lot of preparation that the Soldiers and leaders have put into the Spur Ride to make sure that not just the events run well, but the teams themselves are prepared, understand the tasks they have to do and are able to accomplish them individually and as a team," he said.

Command Sgt. Maj. John Hegadush, command sergeant major of 1st Squadron, 16th Cav., said participating in the Spur Ride meant requesting induction in the Order of the Spur.

"Anybody who is wearing silver spurs right now has done something like this during the course of his career," he said.

Hegadush said building strong squadron teams was another benefit of the Spur Ride.

"All of these teams have five or six members and none of them are allowed to be from just one troop or company," he said. "Every team is built as a combination of our squadron, which replicates combat arms. We are trying to make the squadron a strong unit as a result."

Being inducted represents brotherhood, Hegadush said.

"It is basically a system of (paying) your dues and earning your right to be respected as a member of a fraternal organization," he said.

When the Spur Ride is over, Soldiers who finish will be awarded a set of spurs at a dinner.

"They will mount the stage and their sponsors will clasp silver spurs to their heels," Hegadush said. "For the rest of their careers, at every formal Cavalry function, they are authorized to wear silver spurs."