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I found the following in the 1908 Annual Report of the Mounted Service School (Ft. Riley):

"Regimental commanders should bear in mind:

First, that this school is no place for novices.

The whole class has been retarded this year by the presence of officers who had no experience whatever with horses and were practically recruits as regards riding. Selection should be confined to officers familiar with horses from boyhood.

Second, that a course of daily continued hard riding can not be carried out by any officer who is not able to undergo a physical training similar to that of an athlete. In athletics of any description it would be considered insanity to train a man for the first time after he has reached the age of 30. The vigorous horsemen of advanced years in this country are men who, with but few exceptions, have been riding continuously since youth. Two officers of this year's class were obligated to fall out on account of poor physical condition.

Third, that time spent in the instruction of the indifferent is wasted. It should be easy to know the officer who, upon his return to the regiment, will mount a horse only when required. The year spent at this school must be followed by constant practice, study, and experiment, or it will be impossible to create, as contemplated, a body of field officers who will be finished horsemen.

Fourth, that a surgeon's certificate of good physical condition does not alone determine physical fitness. A burly oarsman or shot putter does not compete in events requiring litheness and agility. Conformation is as essential in horsemen as it is in horses."

On the same theme of physical fitness and riding, I found this in "A History of the 104th Cavalry Pennsylvania National Guard, 1861-1925":

"‘Horseback riding is perhaps of all others the most manly and efficient form of exercise.'

William Muldoon made the foregoing statement. He is the world famous physical trainer. For years his specialty has been the rehabilitation of business men whose physical and mental powers were beginning to weaken under the strain of arduous, long continued business duties. Riding horseback is an integral part of his training methods, and he practices what he preaches, for even now at 79 years of age he rides nearly 100 miles per week.

In discussing the benefits of riding, with Wayne Dinsmore, Secretary of the Horse Association of America, he also said:

‘No remedy known to man has such a powerful and permanent influence in maintaining or regaining health as the judicious employment of cheerful, vigorous exercise in the open air. Horseback riding is a vigorous sport which develops deep breathing in the open air. All the muscles of the body are exercised, but moderately, and to a certain extent equally so. Thus exercise and fresh air is secured without the fatigue incident to walking. The mind must be active in the care of the horse, for there is no person who indulges in this very best of diversions, no matter how long he has been participating in it, who has not something to learn about the art of how to ride properly and to have perfect control of his horse. There is no better companion and no greater friend of mankind than the horse. Learn to love your mount, and learn from him, for a good, intelligent horse has a clear, clean, healthy brain, and he can see, think and act so much more quickly than human being that it will exercise your mind to keep in touch with him. One of the greatest benefits of horseback riding is the complete mental relaxation it brings, for those who ride good horses forget all else for the time being.'"

The first entry here comes during Theodore Roosevelt's second administration. This is significant in that Roosevelt, upon becoming President, set about to emphasize physical fitness in the officer corps. Based on his experiences as a volunteer officer in the Spanish American War, Roosevelt felt that the officer corps was suffering from having a significant number of officers who were not physically fit, and basically just taking up space. Perhaps the often cited example of Gen. Shaftner of Spanish American War fame helped lead him to this conclusion. Anyhow, as part of this, Roosevelt, who was an excellent rider and an avid horseman, issued riding requirements for all officers, not just cavalrymen. I've posted those at one time, and I'll see if I can hunt them up again.

Pat

The first entry here comes during Theodore Roosevelt's second administration. This is significant in that Roosevelt, upon becoming President, set about to emphasize physical fitness in the officer corps. Based on his experiences as a volunteer officer in the Spanish American War, Roosevelt felt that the officer corps was suffering from having a significant number of officers who were not physically fit, and basically just taking up space. Perhaps the often cited example of Gen. Shaftner of Spanish American War fame helped lead him to this conclusion. Anyhow, as part of this, Roosevelt, who was an excellent rider and an avid horseman, issued riding requirements for all officers, not just cavalrymen. I've posted those at one time, and I'll see if I can hunt them up again.

Pat

Dear Pat:

Your comments regarding Teddy Roosevelt, bring to mine a horseback ride he undertook while President either in the late fall or early winter out to Middleburg, VA and back. He did it to prove he was still military fit (cavwise at least!) and to set an example for his officer corps. Middleburg is approximatly 40+ miles West of Washington halfway to Winchester, hence the name and was and still is, the heart of the VA hunt country. Evidently the ride was quite eventful with the accompaning military officers trying to keep up with Roosevelt, muddy roads, a snowstorm and VA hospitality in Middleburg at the end of the ordeal! The comment of the author in the Ft. Riley report brings to mind, some of the eager beaver, wanna play at all cost folks who came out to play polo at Potomac Polo School when I played there. There were guys there whose knees had been smashed up in football or other sports who wanted to just jump on the horse like it was a machine, so they could keep playing something!! It was brought to their attention, that they needed to learn how to ride before they could play! Some of them did rise to the challenge, took lessons and became proficient riders over time, others were disappointed that they just couldn't turn on the horse with a key, like their cars and play!! Just goes to show how modern day folks are so out of touch with the natural world in general and horses in particular!!


Anita L. Henderson

Dear Pat:

Your comments regarding Teddy Roosevelt, bring to mine a horseback ride he undertook while President either in the late fall or early winter out to Middleburg, VA and back. He did it to prove he was still military fit (cavwise at least!) and to set an example for his officer corps. Middleburg is approximatly 40+ miles West of Washington halfway to Winchester, hence the name and was and still is, the heart of the VA hunt country. Evidently the ride was quite eventful with the accompaning military officers trying to keep up with Roosevelt, muddy roads, a snowstorm and VA hospitality in Middleburg at the end of the ordeal!

Anita,

I'd forgotten about that one. Indeed, after reading your account of it, it is my dim recollection that this event occured roughly at the same time as TR's order regarding everybody needing to ride. While TR himself would typically not consider himself to be a good rider, the truth, as this demonstrates, was otherwise.

This also recalled another TR event. When TR was campaigning for the Presidency the first time, he did a whistle stop tour of the west. One of the stops was Laramie, Wyoming. He disembarked the train at the UP station in that town, and then went up to Old Main, the oldest building on the campus (still there) and gave a speech. Several Rough Rider veterans where in the crowd, and they asked if he'd prefer to ride to the next town he was scheduled to stop at, Cheyenne, rather than take the train. To the probable horror of his entourage, he thought it was a bully idea, and agreed. The group then rode horses to Cheyenne, a distance of about 50 miles. I have a great photograph that I'll have to scan and put up which was taken in Cheyenne after their ride.

The comment of the author in the Ft. Riley report brings to mind, some of the eager beaver, wanna play at all cost folks who came out to play polo at Potomac Polo School when I played there. There were guys there whose knees had been smashed up in football or other sports who wanted to just jump on the horse like it was a machine, so they could keep playing something!! It was brought to their attention, that they needed to learn how to ride before they could play! Some of them did rise to the challenge, took lessons and became proficient riders over time, others were disappointed that they just couldn't turn on the horse with a key, like their cars and play!! Just goes to show how modern day folks are so out of touch with the natural world in general and horses in particular!!


Anita L. Henderson

Your observations are quite correct. During the last Olympics somebody I know offered the comment to me that the couldn't see why there were equestrian events in the Olympics, as "the horses do all the work", and the rider "just rides". I informed her otherwise, but I doubt she really believed me. To her, riding a horse was like riding in a car. You just sit there. Would that a person could safely plop such a mistaken individual on the back of a horse in those events, what an education that would be, but I'd fear it would be fatal.

Pat

Dear Pat:

Another contemporary exhibit of physical fitness was with Col. Charles Young one of the few black West Pointers of the 19th century who when told he was too old for active duty combat (WWI), rode several hundred or a thousand??? miles to Washington??? to prove he was fit. He succeeded in completing the ride, but my cranial hard drive can't recall if it made a difference with his superiors in the end. Too many facts, not enough white matter upstairs !

Anita

Dear Pat:

Another contemporary exhibit of physical fitness was with Col. Charles Young one of the few black West Pointers of the 19th century who when told he was too old for active duty combat (WWI), rode several hundred or a thousand??? miles to Washington??? to prove he was fit. He succeeded in completing the ride, but my cranial hard drive can't recall if it made a difference with his superiors in the end. Too many facts, not enough white matter upstairs !

Anita

Anita,

Excellent example. Col. Young rode nearly 500 miles in an effort to prove his physical abilities to serve in the Great War. He was then 53 years old. An irony of the Army's decision that he was too old to serve in Europe is that he had just served in the Punative Expedition, which was probably just as difficult of command, physically, as an equivalent command in Europe was. His effort was unsuccessful, and he was not allowed to serve in Europe. He was later recalled to service and sent as a military atache to Liberia, where he died in 1922. Here's an article on Col. Young:

http://www.ku.edu/~kansite/ww_one/comme ... HI1-19.htm

Pat

Dear Pat:

Thanks for the reference!

Anita

I was re-reading the original two posts by Philip here. They are very interesting. I was surprised, in the first entry, by the comment about some officers at the school having "no experience" with horses. I would have thought that all officers, at that time, would have had some experience with horses.

Interesting comments in the second post about a physical trainer using riding to rejuvenate his business subjects. I'll bet there's more to that than might meet the eye. Certainly riding is a more enjoyable and diverting form of exercise than many common ones folks practice now.

Pat

Something worth reading a second time, as having ridden for the first time in several weeks this weekend reminded me.

Pat

Originally posted by Subotai


A quick note to observe that there is indeed physical fitness required for riding and not just a little. We had a 50 mile endurance ride not far from here in Ridgecrest CA late last month and one of my buddy's girlfriend was going to be in the area from Colorado. She is a fine horse woman but because of work has not made riding much of a priority this winter - and even with plenty of advance notice, didn't think that she really had to in order to prepare for this event; dark, cold etc. She made it 30 miles and was literally wiped out. While admittedly she had a cold as well, her own words were that "I arrogantly assumed I could ride 50 miles. I was so wrong." Riding is like se, er, riding a bicycle; you might not forget how but it is better with practice.

All that having been said, I need to have lunch and then go ride two horses each about 10 miles....

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Jeffrey S. Wall

Indeed, it is a phyical endeavor to be sure.

People who have never done it don't really realize that. For example, during the Olympics before last a coworker of mine commented that she couldn't understand why the cross country event was in the Olympics. After all, she reasoned, a person just rode. That's far from the case, but that's often how people who have not ridden view it.

Pat

I try and maintain a high level of fitness. I run 4-days a week; I lift weights 3 days on, one day off; and I ride two different horses about 5 days a week. After a cross country ride, I can still be out of breath....

Jeff Kalman

And I don't think Teddy was all bull(y), either .... there are stories around here how before, during and after he became President, Roosevelt would frequently visit his old stomping grounds, including many areas of the west, and often to visit his old pals from the Spanish American War.

There were a number of the vets in our area, and the story as told first hand to me by Isabella Wallace is that Teddy would arrive in Flagstaff by train, rent a horse from the livery, and ride the 35 miles south to Mormon Lake, where Isabella lived with her family. Her father, Jack Wallace, had been with Teddy at San Juan Hill, and had homesteaded at Mormon Lake, and at the time was the first Forest Ranger in the area.

Isabella, a small child then, said Teddy would arrive unannounced, she would greet him at the door, and he would come in, not the least bit fatigued, and call for "Teddy's chair", which is still at the homestead today. She told me Teddy would ride 80 miles to Prescott the next day to see more friends, no problem .....

The whole physical fitness part of the equation is one of the legs of the stool, in my opinion. If a beginner or novice is not in good enough shape to move with the animal, with correct seat, etc., and does not possess a modicum of natural ability and coordination, their experiences are often below par, and they become disillusioned with the whole attempt to learn to ride.

I have read a quote describing Roosevelt as " not a pretty rider, but a hell of a good rider;" this came from one of his ranching friends in Little Missouri, where they ought to know.

In high school I was told that riding was "excellent exercise...for the horse." Such is the declining state of public education.

B45

It is amazing how many people think that equestrian pursuits require little to no physical conditioning. But given the attitude of our society (U.S. not Military Horse) towards physical fitness and physical activities it should be no surprise.

It is practically impossible to develop a balanced seat if the rider has no muscle tone and physcial strength. Usually the physically stronger the rider is the better his performance, and it takes time. But as good as the exercise that you recieve while riding is for you, it is not enough.

You have to practice other muscle, cardiovascular and wind development exercises to build a full strong body for serious riding challenges.

Less time on the Chow line and more time on the exercise line will help you and your horse.

Soldiers had(and still do) mandated amounts of physical exercise that developed and maintained a fit body, and for horse troops this was of extreme benefit as they had many tasks to do that Infantry troops did not.

The successful competitive riders today have a work out routine-program that aids their performance and health. This is not limited to Olympians either, many lower-mid level enthusiasts dop soem pretty serious workouts and it shows when they are riding in their respectivce disciplines.

Regards,
Ron Smith

All hope is not lost. The President's Challenge national physical fitness program awards major points for horseback riding -- comparable to running.

An item which is mentioned in, I think, the forward to Truscott's "Twilight of the Cavalry" is that one of the senior commanders of that era (Marshall perhaps?) noted that cavalry officers tended to live longer than infantry officers. While I am not certain that this was Marshall, I do recall that it was that officer's observation that the riding cavalry officers did was the reason why. He felt it kept them in better physical shape.

And, indeed, some cavalry officers continued to take to the field right up until they retired. One of the cavalry commanders under Pershing during the Punitive Expedition was quite close to retirement, but proved more than physically able for the long days in the saddle he was subjected to.

Pat

Originally posted by Kelton Oliver
All hope is not lost. The President's Challenge national physical fitness program awards major points for horseback riding -- comparable to running.

I was not aware of that. Interesting.

Pat

I know a retired Colonel who was a Cavalry officer that is in his 80's and still rides 3 days p/week and Jumps about 2'8" min.

Regards,
Ron Smith

Originally posted by FtValleyPS
And I don't think Teddy was all bull(y), either .... there are stories around here how before, during and after he became President, Roosevelt would frequently visit his old stomping grounds, including many areas of the west, and often to visit his old pals from the Spanish American War.

There were a number of the vets in our area, and the story as told first hand to me by Isabella Wallace is that Teddy would arrive in Flagstaff by train, rent a horse from the livery, and ride the 35 miles south to Mormon Lake, where Isabella lived with her family. Her father, Jack Wallace, had been with Teddy at San Juan Hill, and had homesteaded at Mormon Lake, and at the time was the first Forest Ranger in the area.

Isabella, a small child then, said Teddy would arrive unannounced, she would greet him at the door, and he would come in, not the least bit fatigued, and call for "Teddy's chair", which is still at the homestead today. She told me Teddy would ride 80 miles to Prescott the next day to see more friends, no problem .....

The whole physical fitness part of the equation is one of the legs of the stool, in my opinion. If a beginner or novice is not in good enough shape to move with the animal, with correct seat, etc., and does not possess a modicum of natural ability and coordination, their experiences are often below par, and they become disillusioned with the whole attempt to learn to ride.

In May, 1903, Roosevelt stopped at Laramie as part of a campaign stop. There were several Rough Rider veterans there to welcome him, and they went up to Old Main, the principal University of Wyoming building at that time. He delivered a speech from there.

After the speech, some of the veterans asked him if he'd prefer to ride to the next stop, which was Cheyenne, WY, about 50 miles away. He accepted immediately. I have a group photo up on my office wall taken near Cheyenne when they arrived there.

Roosevelt was an avid rider. As Bisley45 notes, he did not regard himself as a polished rider, but then he rarely would publicly acknowledge that he was good at anything. He was noted to be a very aggressive rider, and was injured while fox hunting on at least one occasion. His seat, FWIW, was always a fairly classic one. Not a short stirruped seat, but a nice centered seat.

Of some potential interest, his son Ted, when first courting his wife, asked her to a fox hunt for the very first event he ever asked her to. She accepted, but found herself outmatched by the horse. Ted impressed her, in part, by not making light of her situation.

Pat