Last weekend Max and I participated in our first Civil War cavalry training event and it was interesting, to say the least. The unit putting on the event is a newly-forming unit, the 7th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry and it was held on a ranch up in Soledad Canyon, not too far away from Vasquez Rocks. The unit itself is a bit of a "work in progress" so this was more of a "meet and greet" than a full-blown training event but it was still a good introduction. After hitching up, Max and I arrived early Saturday morning ready to go. Max trailered with no issues and he soon settled down into his new environment- it was a bit exciting for him but nothing bad.
The unit is a mixed bag of men and horses and many of the people had defected from other units for one reason or another. Apparently, there has not been a real Federal cavalry presence in a long time and the organizer/leader of the 7th Ohio is attempting to change that. For me, I've been away from the Civil War reenactment scene for a good five to six years and it's clear that things have changed quite a bit (I used to go Federal infantry but fell away from it for a variety of reasons to include getting into horses). The level of equitation was a bit mixed with a combination of green and experienced riders and some of the horses were pretty obnoxious- nevertheless, it wasn't a deal-breaker. I view it as a work-in-progress and it kind of reminds me of what I've read about our historical forbearers first forming up in 1861.
We worked on a variety of formations and movements and it was not anything too different from what I do with the Warhorse Foundation practices on Saturdays. I was able to work through the commands and formations fairly easily although Max could sometimes be bit obnoxious. Fortunately, Max is used to bumping butts so he wasn't too concerned about being pushed around in formation; at one point I was stuck next a green rider who couldn't control her horse so I had to keep an eye out for a horse that fish tailed all over the place- Max didn't mind the bumping butts though. No horses fired or tried did anything.
We also worked on weapons handling and this went a little better and people seemed to be very much in control and always conscious about safety (in fact the guy who organized the unit left a Confederate cav unit because of repeated safety violations/issues).For pistol shooting, I approached things a bit cautiously with Max and while I didn't fire off of Max (I suppose I could have but I've learned from bitter experience that rushing things leads to disaster). By the end I was able to place Max between two horses (maybe 2 or 3 feet on each side) with each person firing a half-load pistol charges. Max didn't flinch a bit.
Sword work was pretty decent and by the end I was working with steel- the sword fights are not too different from what Max and I did at Anza. Everything is controlled with safety in mind. The one big rule is that the sword point is to be kept up at all times and don't extend your arm out (i.e. lean out). I was also informed that some of the Rebs can be knuckleheads (nop surprise there) about the swordplay but usually things are fine- if necessary, break off.
One interesting thing about the site where we practiced is that it's in close proximity to train tracks (this is east of the 14 by Vasquez Rocks)so you're constantly hearing the roar of trains passing by. Good thing for de-sensitization. The other thing is that there's a wildlife center (sort of a Wildlife Waystation kind of operation) up the road that houses lions and other wild animals. With the wind blowing from there, the horses could smell (I imagine) the lions this seemed to make some the horses a bit more excited at times. You could also hear roaring throughout the night (at first I thought it was mules braying until I put it all together).
Overall, it was a good start and we'll need to work some more but I think it's got great potential. Moreover, for the first time, I can really get Max out to events and in the long run, this will make him a better horse. We just have to approach the whole thing intelligently and not rush things, especially in the mounted shooting area. More soon.
Below are a few pictures from the event. The ones of me are not the best but oh well...:-)
The unit is a mixed bag of men and horses and many of the people had defected from other units for one reason or another. Apparently, there has not been a real Federal cavalry presence in a long time and the organizer/leader of the 7th Ohio is attempting to change that. For me, I've been away from the Civil War reenactment scene for a good five to six years and it's clear that things have changed quite a bit (I used to go Federal infantry but fell away from it for a variety of reasons to include getting into horses). The level of equitation was a bit mixed with a combination of green and experienced riders and some of the horses were pretty obnoxious- nevertheless, it wasn't a deal-breaker. I view it as a work-in-progress and it kind of reminds me of what I've read about our historical forbearers first forming up in 1861.
We worked on a variety of formations and movements and it was not anything too different from what I do with the Warhorse Foundation practices on Saturdays. I was able to work through the commands and formations fairly easily although Max could sometimes be bit obnoxious. Fortunately, Max is used to bumping butts so he wasn't too concerned about being pushed around in formation; at one point I was stuck next a green rider who couldn't control her horse so I had to keep an eye out for a horse that fish tailed all over the place- Max didn't mind the bumping butts though. No horses fired or tried did anything.
We also worked on weapons handling and this went a little better and people seemed to be very much in control and always conscious about safety (in fact the guy who organized the unit left a Confederate cav unit because of repeated safety violations/issues).For pistol shooting, I approached things a bit cautiously with Max and while I didn't fire off of Max (I suppose I could have but I've learned from bitter experience that rushing things leads to disaster). By the end I was able to place Max between two horses (maybe 2 or 3 feet on each side) with each person firing a half-load pistol charges. Max didn't flinch a bit.
Sword work was pretty decent and by the end I was working with steel- the sword fights are not too different from what Max and I did at Anza. Everything is controlled with safety in mind. The one big rule is that the sword point is to be kept up at all times and don't extend your arm out (i.e. lean out). I was also informed that some of the Rebs can be knuckleheads (nop surprise there) about the swordplay but usually things are fine- if necessary, break off.
One interesting thing about the site where we practiced is that it's in close proximity to train tracks (this is east of the 14 by Vasquez Rocks)so you're constantly hearing the roar of trains passing by. Good thing for de-sensitization. The other thing is that there's a wildlife center (sort of a Wildlife Waystation kind of operation) up the road that houses lions and other wild animals. With the wind blowing from there, the horses could smell (I imagine) the lions this seemed to make some the horses a bit more excited at times. You could also hear roaring throughout the night (at first I thought it was mules braying until I put it all together).
Overall, it was a good start and we'll need to work some more but I think it's got great potential. Moreover, for the first time, I can really get Max out to events and in the long run, this will make him a better horse. We just have to approach the whole thing intelligently and not rush things, especially in the mounted shooting area. More soon.
Below are a few pictures from the event. The ones of me are not the best but oh well...:-)
2 comments:
"I view it as a work-in-progress and it kind of reminds me of what I've read about our historical forbearers first forming up in 1861." What a good way of looking at it!
I assume yall shoot blanks, like the cowboy mounted shooters. Do you use black powder guns? Cartridges weren't widely in use by the CW, were they? I'd love to hear more about reenactor guns, if you need a topic to talk about :)
We use black powder blanks for our pistols. Historically, the cap and ball revolver were in use during this period and cartridge handguns didn't really come onto the scene in any quantity until the 1870s (the Colt Single Action Army didn't come out until 1873).
For the Union Army, the more commonly used pistols were the Model 1858 Remington Army in .44 caliber, 1860 Colt Army in .44 caliber, 1851 Colt Navy in .36 caliber, and 1861 Colt Navy in .36 caliber.
I own both reproduction 1858 Remington and 1860 Colt models although I use the Remington more (it's less of a pain to reload).
Incidentally, cap and ball revolvers were used by gunfighters such as Wild Bill Hickcock all the way through the 1870s.
Hopefully, I'll have more soon! :-)
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