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Here are 2 links from the Chilean Army's Internet news program. Both feature news about the Escuadrón de Exploración Montado Independiente de Chaitén (Chaitén Independent Mounted Exploration Squadron). This is an operational and not ceremonial unit. Both links are from 2012 newscasts. They are in Spanish but the footage will be of interest for Forum readers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XToZNExLlsQ
The news item starts around the 7:40 mark. It shows a combined arms excercise that includes the N°14 Reinforced Infantry Regiment Aysén and the N°8 Artillery Regiment San Carlos de Ancud. The horsemen are doing reconaissance for the rest of the force. This footage shows them cooperating with infantry on foot supported by a jeep mounted antitank unit, mortars and 155mm Soltam Howitsers. The sargent that is interviewed explains that the squadron's role is recon in difficult terrain "where no vehicle or motorcycle can go". He's been riding his horse for 2 years, and the animal "has never let him down".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLPcLdZ ... NnAJySZDcQ
This is also from 2012. Starting around the 3:20 minutes mark there is a newsitem on the reinauguration of the Chaiten´s barraks. It had been destroyed in 2008 by a volcanic eruption. Here you can see the opening of the first stage of the rebuilt barraks for 25% of the unit. They moved one platoon (35 riders) into the rebuilt barraks. This unit belongs to the 4th Division. In addition to it's military role (recon) it's tasked with implanting military presence in the Palena Province (a scarcely populated area) It does frontier duties, wilderness SAR, humanitarian work in times of emergency and generally supports the local population creating security and helping economic development.

Hope you enjoy the videos!

Here's the last edition of the Army's Internet newscast.
http://vimeo.com/109854883

At the 7:18 mark you can see the Campeonato de Patrullas Montadas (Mounted Patroll Championship) recently held at the School of Cavalry. It starts at the 7:18 minute mark.
The Patrol Championship is both a competition and a Basic Combat Hability certification activity. We hold the Infantry Patrol Competition at the Infantry School where I'm working. This competition is similar but of course it's done on horseback.
The competition consists of a cross country round trip to test land navigation (map and compass, no GPS) where you compete against time and against the other patrols. You have several stations were a patrolman is randomly picked and is tested on different skills: combat first aid, weapon assembly and dissasembly, hand greanade throwing, rifle shooting at the range (everybody shoots). I'm missing one or two tests. In the Infantry School we also add a surprise test for the patrol commander.
This competition was done ion horseback and also added a mule saddling and unsaddling test. 12 patrols participated.
The longer segment shown first is a biannual emergency Chilean-Argentinian excersise. This year it was held in Valdibia Chile. You can see Urban SAR (USAR) excersises. We have some training in those skills in my Reserve Unit. The other two segments are on a retirement ceremony for Suboficiales Mayores (the highest NCO rank, equivalent to a Commissioned Officer) and one on school visits to the Military History Museum.
Hope you enjoy.

Good George, you beat me on posting this. I saw this on the Army Website and was about to post it when I saw yours.

I might add that those cavalrymen belong to the Regimiento Ner 1 Granaderos, the coal scuttle helmet guys, that are mostly known as the ceremonial escort of the President, but here you see them trainning for their operational role. They train to work with pack mules cause in the event of real combat they will be deployed in the central Andes. The other mounted regiment is Regimiento Ner 3 Húsares at the city of Angol, plus 2 other squadrons in Osorno and Chaitén.

The first officer you see in the cavalry part is capitan Paulo Lauriani, a riding master, and you can see the Riding master Patch (a black horse head) on the left side of his chest.

They´re are garrisoned at the city of Quillota since 2009, up until then home of the Armored Cavalry School since 1982, (before, since 1938 Cavalry School (horse mounted) and share the site with the Army Equitation School.

Greetings,

Oscar