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Keeping the Tradition Alive

Photo By Spc. Brenda Salgado Morales | The 4th Infantry Division Fort Carson Mounted Color Guard and 1st Infantry Division...... read more read more

FORT CARSON, COLORADO, UNITED STATES

08.06.2022

Story by Pfc. Brenda Salgado Morales

14th Public Affairs Detachment

RIFLE, Colo. - Yee haw is what the fans hear as their eyes beam into the arena, watching the riders charge, waving their flags and pointing their sabers. Animals have been used in the United States military for multiple purposes since it began. Before the U.S Army transitioned to military tanks in 1942, horses were still used for combat. Before pistols and rifles, sabers were the weapon of choice.

The 4th Infantry Division Fort Carson Mounted Color Guard attend the Garfield County Fair in a joint effort with Fort Riley's Commanding General's Mounted Color Guard in Rifle, Colorado, from August 2, 2022 to August 7, 2022. The Garfield County Fair has been a local tradition to keep the western and agricultural traditions alive.

“ I have been coming to the fair since I was a boy, and now it’s my turn to bring my kids,” said Johnathan Martinez, a resident of Rifle, Colorado.

A yearly tradition for 84 years, the fair took place over six days with events such as family and kids rodeo, Xtreme Bulls, a rodeo sponsored by the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association, concert, parade and monster trucking.

“It’s part of American history that is dying off, Army and equine history, we are proud to keep it alive,” said Sgt. Kirk Peterson, senior rider with the Fort Carson Mounted Color Guard.

The highlight of the week was the parade that brought the largest size crowd to the events. Families brought their lawn chairs to sit on the sidelines of the mile long event that included the cavalry and floats. The Rifle community came together to participate and cheer for all the participants.

“Rifle is a beautiful place,” said Sgt. Ethan Isaacs, a new member of the Fort Carson Mounted Color Guard. “The parade reminded me of home.”

The Fort Carson Mounted Color Guard’s mule team, won the title “Best of Parade.”
This was the first performance for the mule team who had been working together since May. The mule sisters, Molly and Mae, were working mules to an amish farm prior to joining the Fort Carson family. They are inseparable to the point where they will whine if they’re not near each other.

“There’s a sense of pride in working with the mules,” said Sgt. Robert Shaw, a new member of the Fort Carson Mounted Color Guard. “It’s a bond of mutual respect between the mules and myself. I respect them enough to care for them properly and they respect me enough to trust and follow my lead.”

The Mounted Color Guard opened the show with a choreographed display of high jumps, sabers, and carbine shooting. In a rare performance of laying of a horse known as the “horse whisperer,” in which the dismounted rider gives the command, the horse obeys by kneeling down to the ground.

“It is incredible that he trusts me, that he allows me to lay him down and be put in the most vulnerable position for a horse,'' said Cpl. Nicole Wagoner, senior rider with the Fort Carson Mounted Color Guard. “I love him so much, he never lets me down.”

Leading the event was senior riders Cpl. Nicole Wagoner, Sgt Kirk Peterson, Sgt Justin Robinson, and Sgt Vincent Aquino. Most riders had no prior experience with horses, and have been in the unit about a year.

Keeping the cavalry tradition alive is very important to any mounted color guard unit. It's been proven to be a crucial and vital part of the U.S Army history. Having two mounted color guard units on display allowed the Rifle community to see traditional customs in place.

“Working with another mounted color guard unit gave us an opportunity to learn more about them, so it was cool to see what they can do and how they operate,” said Peterson.

The Fort Carson Mounted Color Guard team is growing as they just welcomed five new members to the team, a new contracted trainer and new animals. New members begin learning about the animals and how to care for them.

“I grew up with animals and lost the ability when I joined the Army, but being on the Mounted Color Guard gives me a sense of home and the best of both worlds,” said Sgt. Ethan Shaw one of the new members and mule trainers of the Fort Carson Mounted Color Guard unit.

The Mounted Color Guard unit enjoy building bonds with their animals and serving. They look forward to more events like the Garfield County Fair, not only to help with their skills, but to be part of more communities.

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