Commanding General's Mounted Color Guard Stable The Wass De Dzege Cavalry Stable is where the horses and mules used by the Commanding General's Mounted Color Guard at Fort Riley, Kansas are cared for. They use two of the original cavalry training stables, with the one which still has a cobblestone floor used when they keep horses indoors. Across from them is a row of Stablemaster's Quarters, which are used to stay with a horse when giving it medical care. All of the building are made of local stone. The Commanding General's Mounted Color Guard was established in 1992 to provide a link to Fort Riley's historic past. Troopers and horses of this unit are outfitted in the uniforms, accouterments, and equipment of the Civil War period. Soldiers are detailed from the ranks of units assigned to Fort Riley and receive instruction from manuals used by Civil War cavalrymen. They demonstrate their horsemanship for professional rodeos, community events, parades, school groups, and official ceremonies as well as military ceremonies on Fort Riley. The mounted demonstration is an exhibition of the skill and precision required of a cavalry horse soldier. It includes various drills using the 1861 Cavalry Light Saber, a .45 caliber revolver, and the 1873 Remington .45 caliber lever action repeater rifle. The demonstrations require an area of 150 feet by 200 feet. We visited the stables during their open hours in 2024. Before we even entered the building, we were greeted by Trooper Husmann, who immediately stopped what he was doing to take us on a 40 minute tour which visited several of the buildings. There were no equines in the stables. They are normally only here instead of their pasture when receiving medical care. There are both horses for the troopers and mules to pull wagons. However we did see "Old Bill," the life sized statue of a mounted cavalry soldier from the "Old Trooper Monument" at Fort Riley. It was receiving restoration work there in the stable. The statue is modeled after a drawing by Frederic Remington in 1898 and normally is on a pedestal overlooking the Grave of "Chief" the last cavalry horse to survive from the US Army. We concluded with a visit to the leather shop, where Trooper Husmann does the leather work on the troop's authentic McClellan saddles and tack. He has been doing this for two years and learned by watching YouTube videos, He is likely to continue to do leather work for the rest of his life. Fort Riley is the home of the Big Red One (United States 1st Infantry Division). The public is invited to visit the stables, museums and other features at Fort Riley and there is no charge. Information for gaining access to the Fort.
Things to do at Fort Riley
copyright 2012-2025 by Keith Stokes |
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