As troop members become sophomores and juniors, they spend more time at the farm and progress to different styles of riding such as dressage, which involves taking a horse through a series of intricate movements. As the school year winds down, advanced troop members focus on their end-of-semester performance, when they show off advanced skills such as vaulting and bareback riding.
Stewart, a nursing major from Middlebury, Vt., manages day-to-day activities for the troop, such as maintenance and logistics. She finds riding a welcome break from the rigors of the Corps. “Being able to go to riding lessons is a stress reliever,” she said. “It’s very peaceful working with such a beautiful animal.”
In 1909, cavalry training was introduced by Capt. Leslie Chapman, a cavalry officer assigned to Norwich by the War Department. Training began informally, but eventually the entire institution became a cavalry unit. Until the onset of World War II, every Norwich Cadet spent time on horseback. Cavalry Troop was reinstated on a limited basis in 1998, and became an official company, which Rooks entered upon their arrival, in 2004. continue