LadyGascoyne
Well-Known Member
In my Times briefing this morning
Anyone know what happened?
- Thread starter coblets
- Start date
reynold
Well-Known Member
Saw this on the news last night - great news but Oh those buttercups!
Pinkvboots
Well-Known Member
Just thought the same
webble
Well-Known Member
For the general public they probably help with the photogenicness (not a word I know)
MereChristmas
riding reluctantly into the sunset
and I thought ‘ dormouse ‘
humblepie
Well-Known Member
Brilliant news re horses and riders.
Juniper Jack
Well-Known Member
teapot
Well-Known Member
AShetlandBitMeOnce
Well-Known Member
Freak accidents happen everywhere, Dex caught his rug in his haynet a couple weeks back, I’m not, not going to rug him ever again… they do this every day, twice a day and only once in my lifetime have I ever seen an incident like this happen
Juniper Jack
Well-Known Member
When I was a child I wished we could buy the local golf course and turn it into a cross-country course lol.
Now I wish the Household Cavalry could turn Hyde Park into a big pasture for their horses and all of the other horses of London.
Would it be big enough, I wonder?
Now I wish the Household Cavalry could turn Hyde Park into a big pasture for their horses and all of the other horses of London.
Would it be big enough, I wonder?
teapot
Well-Known Member
Absolutely they do, but as loose horse incidents happen in London more than perhaps people realise (only have to search youtube to see how many solider falls off horse videos there are) it does make you wonder at some point whether riding and leading two remains the best idea in the world.
Miss_Millie
Well-Known Member
Caol Ila
Well-Known Member
Definitely not a good look, but kudos to the random dudes in shorts at the end of the video who've got a hold of two horses.
splashgirl45
Lurcher lover
Sounds to me like they need to brush up on their riding and handling skills. I used to ride and lead 2 when I worked at a RS and never had one get loose in over 5 years and we had roads to manage as well
teapot
Well-Known Member
Or just for safety’s sake, stop doing it?
Miss_Millie
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I was impressed by him too!
criso
Coming over here & taking your jobs since 1900
As in both this s and the previous incident, the loose horses are saddled and bridled, do we know that ride and lead is the issue or just riders falling off.
teapot
Well-Known Member
Could be the led horse being the issue, could be an inexperienced rider being the issue, could be the combination of both!
Regardless of cause, time to consider the reality and expectation of situation I feel.
criso
Coming over here & taking your jobs since 1900
Big groups of fresh horses, inexperienced riders, London hazards just seems enough without zooming in on whether they are leading, that's all.
I do think we need to rethink horses in ceremonial displays but I suspect no appetite for that among the public or establishment.
Cortez
Tough but Fair
Or more pertinently rethink the skill levels, competence and training of the riders?
criso
Coming over here & taking your jobs since 1900
But given this is the forces and horses have a limited role in modern warfare, the riders may be deployed in active combat zones so how much time do you spend focusing on riding instead of their other more necessary skills?
I bought a horse from an captain in one of the troops and he'd been in Afghanistan. He could ride but mainly because he rode and completed before he joined and after.
Nonjumper
Well-Known Member
Two years are spent at Windsor caring for and riding the horses full time. The other skills are trained before they even get to Windsor and then once their stint with the horses is done they move back to working with tanks and other military vehicles again. They ride more than anyone else would in that timeframe. The mounted part of the cavalry is there to protect the monarch, and as such they don't get deployed as technically they already are.
That said I'm not sure that riding, or leading, the horses down the roads for exercise is wise these days especially as their boots have no give in them whatsoever. Traffic is appalling everywhere but in London is truly awful.
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Cortez
Tough but Fair
Troops are routinely deployed to ceremonial duties, whether that be marching up and down with a bear on their head or riding a horse. There are very few permanent roles, and those that pass through this duty will also be in other active roles throughout their military service.
Crazy_cat_lady
Well-Known Member
Perhaps it's time to stop with the horses and have the soldiers parade on foot if they need to be visible. Same with manning the guard posts, the soldiers can stand on foot if its required - then there's still something for the tourists as they will still be in full uniform etc
There's no need for the horses, it's lucky there hasn't been a fatality for an unsuspecting member of the public
There's no need for the horses, it's lucky there hasn't been a fatality for an unsuspecting member of the public
teapot
Well-Known Member
For those posted to Knightsbridge - they’re there regardless of what else is going on in the world. You’ll notice parades, and guard duty didn’t stop during Iraq or Afghanistan. They do their two years or so, before returning to their actual job role - armoured infantry. It’s the same for the Guards - you’ll have one battalion prepping to go to war, while another’s marching down the Mall in a bearskin.
While they are at Knightsbridge they will still do their basic skills refreshes, but their sole job is the ceremonial role for that posting.
@Cortez makes a good point, maybe their equitation training (as it’s known) needs modernising. Less time galloping across beaches and falling off, more time learning the actual skill. I’d imagine the riding course at Windsor hasn’t changed in decades.
As I’ve mentioned before the mounted police branches manage to ride a heck of a lot better, because they value proper training! From what I’ve heard from people who have ridden the Cav Blacks in lessons, their training does nothing to make them easier to ride horses, so it becomes a vicious circle - unsupple horse being ridden by someone who may not know what suppleness is.
stangs
Well-Known Member
Surely the fact that this is happening only with the Household Cavalry, and not with the King’s Troop, suggests that it’s the riding and not the ride and lead that’s the issue?
(That and the fact that the King’s Troop get more turnout.)
teapot
Well-Known Member
May well be!
Could argue the KT attracts those who can ride too, and far more women. They’re artillery first, with many artillery based barracks having saddle clubs, before they’re even posted to the KT.
HCav they’re soldiers first, ps you also need to do guard duty, here’s a horse.
criso
Coming over here & taking your jobs since 1900
I thought part of it was to acclimatise them to London for duties like trooping the colour so exercising elsewhere would not achieve that. .
Well that's obvious but you still asking them them to train for 2 jobs which are not related.
Marching in a bearskin does not require the skills needed to control a fresh horse in a group of other fresh horses in very demanding conditions and less likely to result in incidents that cause risk the horses, riders and general public.
They were in St John's Wood before, not sure they had much turnout then but agree about the better riding skills. They brought some of their horses to compete in a BE ODE I jump judged at and all got round. Though one hates me forever as I had to give him a technical elimination after stopped at a combination and rejumped part.
teapot
Well-Known Member
Exercise is both just that - exercise as they have no turnout, but also to ensure they keep getting used to the London environment. Bar the parks, an arena or the walker, they have nowhere else to exercise.
Yes, two unrelated skills, but the history of the cavalry is what is, hence why soldiers rotate between the two, and their entire time at Knightsbridge is devoted to the horse side to ensure the level of training - it’s not split 2 days a week on a horse, three days being a soldier. No one can choose to only serve on the armoured side, or the horse side for example. So the point about perhaps improving the equestrian education side does stand because time allows for it.
You missed my point re the Guards, I wasn’t saying it was a skill issue (though actually isn’t an easy thing to do if you’re ever felt how heavy that uniform is) but more another example of if your job is x, you don’t instantly get plucked to y
The main question is does the current Household Cavalry training provided adequate development and education to soldiers to become
riders that a) ride a horse well, and to ensure it remains a happy and healthy and b) provide them with the skills and ability to ride in one of the busiest cities in the world.
I would say no, and I worked with a groom once who was ex-Cav. He could jump on anything from the ground without stirrups or a block, but he rode in one manner only.
adamntitch
Well-Known Member
Am not surprised really, I watched a program about the kings troop and the riding school , in the jumping lesson most fell off more than once but they all still past they could hardly do rising trot never mind jump bouncing about all over the horses backs