Remount to Full Train The King’s Troop RHA purchase the majority of their Ride and Drive horses in Ireland in the 3-5 year old age bracket as un-backed “Remounts”. These remounts are then moved to the Defence Animal Centre in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire where King’s Troop soldiers will “back and break” them, thus starting their training and Ceremonial career.
“Backing and breaking” is the terminology used for the training of a young horse that has never had anyone on their back. This process can vary depending on each horse and how quickly they can accept a person being on their back. Once the confidence has grown between horse and rider, the training can begin.
The Remount ride normally stays at Melton for up to eight weeks where the horse will firstly be backed, then established in the three paces of walk, trot and canter. They will also be introduced to a coloured pole (show jump) and a small cross country fence as well as being introduced to traffic and the roads. Before their return to London, the Commanding Officer (CO) along with the Equitation Instructor (EI) and the six Number 1s (Sgt in charge of the Sub Sections) will see the horses work as a ride and have the opportunity to read a portfolio of each horse’s progress.
Once the remounts have returned to St John’s Wood they are gradually introduced to a Military head-collar and saddle. The progression then continues with the introduction of a sword, which can be a strange feeling to a young horse as it hangs against its side and then finally the introduction to the harness. This is a steady progress as it can be quite daunting as the harness can be quite noisy as it jangles around the horse’s body. The horse then has to get used to the feeling of the traces against its side and legs before any attempt will be made to “hook in” to the remainder of the gun team.
Once the horse has fully accepted these new challenges, it is ready to start taking part in “draught parades” where the CO and EI will assess their training and make the decision whether to “pass out” the remount. This means that the young horse has progressed well with their training and is now ready to go out in public on Ceremonial duties. The whole training programme for a King’s Troop remount varies depending on each individual horse but it usually averages around 4-6 months from the hairy, mud covered animal arriving in Melton to it making its first appearance in public on parade. A great sense of achievement is felt by the soldiers responsible for the horses training and transformation to a smart, fit animal that not long ago lived in a muddy field somewhere in Ireland.
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