Her Majesty's Cavalry

fabbydo

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I found it quite disturbing. Grown men pulling on saddles to clamber on board. Poor horses. I hope they get their backs checked weekly. Unbalanced riders cantering, clearly well before they are ready. It seemed that getting the rider through the 'course' quickly was more important than the horses's welfare.
 

hobo

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Happened to see it by chance very interesting but yes also thought how they are taught to mount is so wrong. The cantering long before being ready also not great for the horses which were putting in a quite a few bucks. Health and safety not an issue with the army I guess! Would love to see them going through London on mass. Many years ago they must have rode them from London to Windsor for their holiday because they used to rest them on Bedfont Green where I lived I used to rush down there to see the horses.
 

The-Bookworm

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I was surprised that they would join without being able to ride first. I assumed the chap meant first canter on those horses, not first one ever!
Though doing it without stirrups looked great for their overall position, just not for any security. How many would have come off with the sitting trot.

The mounting puzzled me, but I wonder if this goes back to if you are injured you need to be able to get back on your horse? Though they don't actually use horses for war do they?
 

meleeka

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I watched it and agree with the above. I also thought that health and safety isn’t a big consideration. Grown men squeezing between the stall and the horse could very easily get squashed. I wouldn’t fancy the 3am start either!
 

Abi90

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I was surprised that they would join without being able to ride first. I assumed the chap meant first canter on those horses, not first one ever!
Though doing it without stirrups looked great for their overall position, just not for any security. How many would have come off with the sitting trot.

The mounting puzzled me, but I wonder if this goes back to if you are injured you need to be able to get back on your horse? Though they don't actually use horses for war do they?

They don’t like people who can already ride as they already have bad habits and they like to teach from scratch.

The mounting thing is purely traditional, and definitely outdated, like a lot of things in the Armed Forces
 

Skib

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The army always taught riding quickly. At least they wore helmets and body protectors. My grandfather a passionate horseman in the Royal Field Artillery in 1914 put his non riding friends on horses and sent them off cross country, laughing at any mishaps. Not very nice.
In the infantry, my bookish undergraduate uncle who had never been on a horse was lent his Captain's horse and sent off to accompany a group of foot soldiers to another post. After the initial confusion and then riding all day he wrote home to his parents that he could now ride - stop, start and steer.
 

HappyHollyDays

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My dad was a cavalryman when the army had horses and not armoured vehicles 😱 Being an engineer at heart he was very thankful when tanks came along but having learnt his horsemanship the traditional way he made dam sure I did everything properly. As a teenager I had the most immaculate box on the yard, the best groomed horse and the cleanest tack going 😂 I am truly thankful to him to this day and just wish he was still around to see my latest horses.
 

Skib

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It is stupid history. The British and USA gave up cavalry in the 1930s. The Germans and Russians did not. The Germans occupied France using horses - a friend of mine remembers them riding into his village. And the Germans seized the Polish studs in order to breed and supply further horses. Eventually Russian horsepower - replacement horses provided through an aid deal from Mongolia - contributed greatly to their victory. These guys are just playing horses.
 

Trouper

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Being ancient, I was taught to ride by a former cavalry trooper - so, yes, crossed stirrups and tied reins at the earliest opportunity to teach you to balance. Like a lot of things we know better now but look at the kit the guys have to wear on parade - you can't bend those boots to mount "normally" nor can you ride sensitively so balance is your chief asset if you and your horse want to come home together!!
 
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There were a couple of programmes about the HC a while ago, just seems like the same thing. I was disturbed to see them pulling on the horses backs when trying to mount as well.
 

case895

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Baby oiling the horse's b u m hole before mounting guard. I'd be in a wheelchair if I tried that with mine.
 

The-Bookworm

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Baby oiling the horse's b u m hole before mounting guard. I'd be in a wheelchair if I tried that with mine.
I can clean my lass there. But wouldn't fancy spraying it with anything.
Though if you meet a person that the sun already shines out of theirs you could hand them the bottle so it's shiny. :eek::D
 

Kaylum

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Havent watched it again as the cantering was appauling. Putting people and horses in danger getting them all the canter at the same time, stupid irresponsible instructor.
 

DD

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i watched episode 1 on itv iplayer. looking forward to catching up on 2 tonight. its on there now BOWS28
 

KrujaaLass

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Being ancient, I was taught to ride by a former cavalry trooper - so, yes, crossed stirrups and tied reins at the earliest opportunity to teach you to balance. Like a lot of things we know better now but look at the kit the guys have to wear on parade - you can't bend those boots to mount "normally" nor can you ride sensitively so balance is your chief asset if you and your horse want to come home together!!
Also taught by Cavalry man. Remember jumping no reins or stirrups
 
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