The Horse Cavalry Detachment on Duty

When not performing Hippotherapy, the U.S. Cavalry horses are on regular duty. When caring for injured soldiers, these horses are gentle, forgiving, calm; tuned in to their riders vulnerabilities and doing their extremely important part in the healing process. There are no better assistants than these horses.

But, when duty calls, they are all business. War horses, fearless, ready to carry their fellow soldiers into battle whether charging a distant target or close hand to hand sword play. The horses and their riders also provide an Honor Guard for troops returning from deployment.
The Horse Cavalry Detachment is committed to professionally and safely representing the history, pageantry, and traditions of the U.S. Cavalry. Every trooper is hand-picked and tested prior to acceptance into the unit. They take great pride in their ability to maintain current standards of military discipline while preserving the unique skills and traditions of the horse-mounted cavalry of an era gone by.

The Horse Detachment was established in January 1972 when the First Cavalry Division Association voted to sponsor a Horse Platoon and ten horses were procured from the Army Pentathlon Team in San Antonio, Texas. Their first show - a parade - took place in San Angelo, Texas, that same year. By the end of 1972, the herd had grown to 18 mounts and in 1973 were added two mules and an 1878 Escort Wagon to the inventory.

The Detachment performed its first mounted demonstration in 1974 using six riders and mounts. Throughout the 1970's the Detachment continued to grow, although individual soldiers were still donating a lot of their personal time, supplies, and money to make the unit function. All that began to change when the U.S. Army recognized the Horse Platoon as a Special Ceremonial Unit and took over financial oversight of the unit. Today the Detachment is the only permanently-staffed and independently-funded mounted cavalry unit on Active Duty in the United States Army.

In 1984, the position of Civilian Trainer and Stablemaster was created. A distinguished Department of the Army civilian post, this position has provided great continuity over the years and respected expertise to the efforts of the Detachment.

The Horse Platoon was renamed the Horse Cavalry Detachment to better conform to historical precedent in 1986. It was about this time that the demonstration was improved to include 11 riders and mounts and a four mule hitch pulling the Escort Wagon. That task organization has remained the standard (with rare exceptions) ever since.

Over the years, the Detachment has appeared in 3 Presidential Inaugural Parades, five Tournament of Roses Parades, the 1984 World's Fair, and literally thousands of state and local events.

The Detachment is currently comprised of two commissioned officers, 40 soldiers, 40 horses, 9 mules, and 1 dog. The unit prides itself on self-sufficiency and is completely self-contained, with its own school-trained farriers, saddlemakers, bootmakers, and veterinary technicians.