Cavalry competition tests Soldiers' horsemanship skills

FORT SILL, Okla., Sept. 29, 2016 -- Soldiers from Fort Sill and five other Army posts arrived with their horses at historic Fort Reno, Okla. last week to test their skills and enjoy camaraderie with fellow horsemen in the 2016 Bivouac and National Cavalry Competition, Sept. 20-25.

Cavalry Soldiers such as those from forts Hood, Riley and Carson were more adept at many of the events, since they use pistols, rifles and sabers as part of their traditional re-enactments. Although Fort Sill's Artillery Half Section demonstration team doesn't include that sort of excitement in its ceremonial routine, the Soldiers made a great showing in events they had never practiced for.

The Mounted Saber course Sept. 23, involved jumps and various saber moves designed to topple or disable enemies. Even though Sill's horsemen had no practice whatsoever in anything more than jumping low obstacles, they showed they could slice a cabbage or hook a ring from the back of a moving horse with the best of them. One of the newer horses, Mario, balked at the saber course in his first run, but Sgt. Scott Gamble managed to coax more action out of him on the second go-round.

"He's still in training," said Gamble, noncommissioned officer in charge of the Half Section. "He wasn't misbehaving," he emphasized (a bit tongue-in-cheek). He did everything I asked him to. He just did it very slowly."

Since their tour of duty as horsemen is only for one year, only chief Gerald Stuck had even been to the Cavalry Competition before. Gamble said he'd like to set up a similar course at Fort Sill in hopes the next batch of Soldiers can train for the 2017 events.

The Half Section competed in entry level 1 events, with level 3 for the most experienced horsemen. In the Military Horsemanship event Sept. 22, Spc. Kyle Minor placed 10th. In Friday's Field Jumping event, Pfc. Alex Garcia placed first, Pvt. David Livengood came in third, and substitute rider Alexandria Minor (wife of Spc. Kyle Minor) placed 7th.

In attendance was retired Brig. Gen. Philip Bolté, chairman of the U. S. Cavalry Association since its inception in 1976.

"The old Cavalry Soldiers were dying off," he said. "We started the association to keep the tradition alive." Bolté also helped move its headquarters and museum from Fort Riley, Kan. to Fort Reno three years ago. Upstairs in the museum is a display with Bolté's uniform and memorabilia.

On Saturday he observed the morning unit demonstrations in full dress uniform, sitting next to retired Master Sgt. Al Klugiewicz, who recently turned 100 years old.

Fort Hood's 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment, and the Commanding General's Mounted Color Guard of Fort Riley, Kan. had impressive demonstrations which included firing pistols at balloons from the backs of galloping horses (with one Soldier firing two pistols on a jumping horse), mock saber fights, and rescue of a downed horseman. The Bolté Cup competition for the most skilled Soldier-riders occurred in on-again-off-again afternoon showers, requiring multiple jumps, shooting balloons, dismounting and firing from a kneeling position, catching rings with a saber, and other feats of horsemanship in a timed course.

Announcer and U. S. Cavalry Association chaplain Paul Scholtz said his first Army duty station was at Fort Sill in 1969. He said the 81 contestants this year were the most ever in the competition, and pointed out that the horses used at the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment's Horse Detachment at Fort Irwin, Calif. are also used as role-players at the National Training Center's mock Middle Eastern village.

"They travel to places where helicopters and wheeled vehicles can't go," said Scholtz. He also said enemy horsemen can attach explosives to a tank or other vehicles, or hide weapons or illegal items on a mule, so they are used to train Soldiers in insurgent tactics.

Other units participating were Fort Huachuca, Ariz.'s B Troop, 4th U. S. Cavalry Regiment (Memorial); and the Fort Carson, Colo. Mounted Color Guard.