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Riding club helps train Soldiers

  • Published
  • By Samuel King Jr.
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The Sand and Spur Riding Club hosted a horse familiarization course for Army explosive ordnance disposal officers in late 2013.

Approximately six Soldiers from the U.S. Army EOD Training Detachment participated in the course where they learned grooming, saddling, mounting, riding, packing and knot tying. The goal was to provide them with a foundation of knowledge about horses and to feel comfortable around the animals, according to Wendy Coon, the Sand and Spur president.

The idea for the training came from Maj. Matthew Hurley. The Soldiers' approach was to proactively be familiar with riding and packing a horse in case they were required to do so during a deployment.

"We wanted to get our officers familiar with horses and horseback riding. It's important to get training on situations we could find ourselves in, we wanted to be prepared for that," said Maj. Nicholas Drury, who participated in the training.

Riding club members volunteered their time and horses for the training. Each Soldier was paired off with a member to learn the basics.

"Throwing your leg up and getting on a horse is not the easiest of tasks and can be quite daunting if you've never had the opportunity to spend time around such large animals," said Capt. Michelle Lukenbill, an officer at Hurlburt Field and member of the riding club. "Horses are still viable modes of transportation in many parts of the world and we wanted to ensure our military members could safely and confidently take over the reins without hesitation if the need ever arose while deployed."

The Soldiers were noticeably cautious and apprehensive at the beginning of the training, but the instructors detected a building confidence as the morning went on.

"The volunteers took on more of an observing role watching the students execute the commands they had just learned," said Lukenbill. "It was amazing the transformation from the start of the morning to the end."

At first, the club didn't have anyone on hand to teach a horse packing class. They reached out to friends and Charlie Brown, a former Airman from Wyoming who'd learned the "art" of packing gear onto horseback, came down and taught a crash course in packing supplies.

"Riding and packing horses in the mountains is no small task, especially if you don't have very much experience," said Brown. "Once you've been in the military you always carry some camaraderie for those who've taken your place. I was pleased and honored to have been able to help no matter how small a contribution it may have been."

The four-hour course ended up benefitting the Soldiers and the trainers.

"Not only did the training help build confidence in the saddle and on the ground for these officers, it also showed the commanders and platoon leaders how to get out of their comfort zone and conduct non typical Army training," said Hurley.

For more information on the Sand and Spur Riding Club, visit the 96th Force Support Squadron website or militarystables.com. The club will host their annual open house April 19 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.