Regimental Museum Report Strathcona Mounted Troop Report

Message from the Colonel of the Regiment continuedals, are assisting directly in achieving coalitionaims. All Strathconas will certainly joinme in wishing Recce Squadron all of thebest for a quick and complete success.As can be seen from the comments of theCommanding Officer, the Regiment itselfcontinues to be busy. Taken as a whole thelast year may have been a more traditionalone but it was certainly a busy one. It alsowas a very successful year. Not only was“the bread and butter” training done well,but also the Regiment was extremely successfulin external competitions of both themilitary and sports varieties. I congratulateall involved for the large number of its particularsuccesses in the past year. Theyrepresent high levels of performancethroughout the Regiment.Looking to the immediate future for theRegiment, life will continue to be very busy.The end of the Afghanistan deployment isstill several months away. Shortly afterMoreuil Wood celebrations the Regimentwill participate in a major Brigade exerciseincluding live firing to ensure that collectiveall arms skills are maintained. Theforthcoming G-8 conference is certain tobe a heavy commitment and later in theyear another squadron deployment toBosnia is on the horizon. It is fortunate thatPage 14the Regiment contains the depth in skilland experience that it does becausedemands as extensive and diverse as theseare demanding indeed for one Regiment ina short period.Society matters also continue to beactive. The Alberta Association Branchcontinues to be heavily involved and muchof the foundation is already laid for the nextReunion in May 2005, which will coincidewith Albert’s Centennial. The OttawaAssociation Branch is very active, as arenumerous smaller groups of Strathconas.The Newsletter and ‘Mucker’s’ officecontinue to provide outstanding servicewhile, through the benefits of new technology,Internet linkages are opening upmuch more communication within andabout the family. I particularly thank thoseinvolved with our Internet advances for thespeed and effectiveness we have achievedin moving forward in this area. The StrathconaMounted Troop, our Museum, thePipes and Drums, and the Historic VehicleTroop all appear to be on solid footing.The result is that the name Strathconascontinues to be prominent and associatedwith high standards.Lastly, it appears that before the nextedition of the Newsletter, my appointmentas the Colonel of the Regiment will haveStrathcona Mounted Troop Report continuedtheir annual stakes race on the 24th ofNovember at Northlands Park. NormallyMounted Troop ends its season in mid-October however the ASHA was very keento honour the Regiment and thus namedtwo of its important races after the Regiment.We were quick to realise why the MusicalRide season ends in October … as theminus 15°C temperatures had manyMounted Troopers asking if they couldwear their toques instead of their helmets!December in the Mounted Troop meanstime for exchange of personnel. This is inpreparation for the Basic Equine Indoctrinationcourse that commences in earlyJanuary. This year we said goodbye to threevery skilled horsemen: MCpl PatrickLalonde, Cpl Ron Sampert and CplMatthew Hull. All will be missed for theirwork ethic and riding abilities. However, wewere lucky to receive two very eagerreplacements: Tpr Alex Diblassio andTpr Curtis McCarron.The Christmas leave period is a timewhen Mounted Troop clearly establishesitself as the premier Troop in the Regiment.Unlike the Squadron vehicles Leopardsand Coyotes, horses can not be “parked”for Christmas leave. As such, each rider isexpected to come in a minimum of 5 daysduring his or her Christmas leave in orderto clean stalls and feed the horses. A specialthanks to MCpl John Jans and Sgt Artended. It has been a long appointment, certainlylonger than anticipated at the beginning.The period has covered a number ofvery significant events in our history fromoperational deployments, to move of theRegiment, to Celebration 2000 and all thatits activities meant. The period has alsoseen substantial growth in the capabilitiesof the Regiment itself and of the Society.Each year and its involvements wereinteresting and often challenging to mepersonally and will provide me with verypositive memories. However, far and awaythe most memorable aspect of the appointmentwill be the many Strathconas I met, asindividuals and in groups, those in the Regimentand outside of the Regiment, and themany, many more people who count themselvesas friends and supporters of theStrathcona’s. Flowing from the long-standingspirit found from within the Regimentitself, we, as Strathcona’s, have developed avery unique approach and spirit. Meetingso many that possess and exhibit that spirithave been the highlight of the appointmentwithout a doubt.It has been my honour and pleasure tosee and participate in Strathcona spiritfrom a very privileged position. I thankthose who gave me that opportunity. Most–continued on page 15Wiggins for spearheading the charge onChristmas Day and New Years Dayrespectively. Without dedicated individualslike these, Mounted Troop would not bewhat it is today.In an attempt to return to our roots, theMounted Troop has started re-trainingitself in the game of polo. The Troop hasenlisted the help of Mr. Gregg Garvin ofthe Polo Training Foundation of Canadato teach us the intricacies of the outdoorfield and arena versions of the game. Thishas benefited the Troop greatly as the crosstraining of riders has meant a generalincrease in the interest level of thingsequine by the soldiers as well as increasingour overall collective riding ability.Bookings for the 2002 Musical Rideseason have already been brisk. The Troophas an excellent reputation for providingunparalleled entertainment at a reasonableprice. Bookings this year range from ournormal Spruce Meadows appearances astheir official Colour Guard to performingfor the first time to live music at the VictoriaMilitary Music Festival, 14-16 June.This year we’ve even received inquiries forperforming from as far south as Caldwell,Idaho (30 miles south of Boise). SMT isalso looking forward to performing at suchvenues as: Heritage Park, TheReynolds-Alberta Museum, Fort Calgary,Fort Edmonton, the Town of Rimbey,the Town of Taber and Comox NauticalDays. For specific dates and timingsof performances check our website atwww.strathconas.caThe highlight of the 2002 Ride Season isthe probability of once again performingthe Queen’s Life Guard duties, in London,during the Queen’s Golden Jubileein October of this year. No confirmationfor this event has been made as of yet.In an attempt to make Mounted Troopmore popular with our neighbours to thesouth, money has been allotted this year forthe Strathcona Mounted Troop to conducta small unit exchange. As such, contact hasbeen established with another equine militaryunit, the 1st Cavalry Horse Detachmentfrom Fort Hood, Texas.This outfit has 40 horses and six mulesand puts on a mounted weapons displayusing vintage Indian Wars era kit. Theyseem to have a lot in common with theMounted Troop and are very eager for us tovisit. Their Commanding Officer, Capt JeffSchmidt will be visiting with eight of hisbest riders from 6-13 May of this year on acultural exchange. No date has been confirmedfor Mounted Troop’s reciprocal visit.The 2002 Musical Ride season is shapingup to be one of our finest seasons ever.With 20 motivated Riders and 17 premiummounts the Strathcona Mounted Troop isset to achieve great things this year.Lt. Ross ProkopyTroop LeaderStrathcona’s Newsletter