|
Black Horse Troop
In early 1897, only four years after Culver's creation,
Commandant of Cadets Major Leigh Gignilliat began a series of
moves to spotlight the fledgling Academy and its programs. His
first, and longest lasting, endeavor was his March, 1897,
proposal to the Culver family to purchase 16 mounts of the
Cleveland National Guard's Black Horse Troop.
In May of 1897, Culver's Black Horse Troop made its first
formal appearance, serving as Guard of Honor for Indiana
Governor James Mount at the Grand Army of the Republic
Encampment in Richmond, Indiana.
An escort to presidents, emperors, kings, and queens, the
Black Horse Troop has represented The Culver Academies to the
world for more than 100 years. In recent years, the Troop has
presented at one time as many as 90 riders on mounts selected
from a stable of more than 110 black horses.
Twelve times the Black Horse Troop, which boasts The
Academies' best horsemen, has journeyed to Washington, D.C., to
participate in the Presidential Inaugural Parade, a tradition
that began in 1913 with the first inauguration of President
Woodrow Wilson. The Troop saluted Wilson again in 1917 and then
returned to the nation's capital every four years from Dwight D.
Eisenhower's second term in 1957 to George Bush's oath of office
in 1989. The Black Horse Troop returned to the inaugural parade
in 1997.
The Black Horse Troop has appeared in more Presidential
Inaugural Parades than any other private or public high
school contingent. It has had the honor of escorting Queen
Elizabeth II of England, the King and Queen of Denmark and the
late Emperor Hirohito of Japan during several royal visits to
the United States.
The Troop was part of the opening ceremonies at the 1933
World Exposition in Chicago and the 11th Pan-American Games,
held in Indianapolis, in 1987. It has traveled countless miles
across the country to appear at many prominent
national events, including the 1976 Cotton Bowl Parade in
Dallas and the 1978 Kentucky Derby "Pegasus Parade."
The Lancer Platoon
The Lancer Platoon, an Honor Unit comprised of the 30 best
horsemen of the Black Horse Troop, performs a precision drill
based on the cavalry manual for mounted drill. The Lancer
Platoon is accompanied by the Lancer Band.
The Equestriennes
Since 1982, the Black Horse Troop has been joined at many of its
appearances by the Culver Equestriennes, the mounted drill team
of Culver Girls Academy (CGA). The Equestriennes made its Presidential
Inaugural Parade debut in 1985.
The newest of the school's seven Honor Units, The
Equestriennes' membership is selected from the best riders in
CGA, which was founded in 1971. Twenty to twenty-five girls are selected each
year for membership in this Honor Unit, which performs a
choreographed mounted drill ride set to music.
In order to be eligible for membership in the Equestriennes,
a CGA student must be currently enrolled in equitation, earned
the CGA Crest, have the minimum required grade point average for
her class and must have a citizenship grade of C or above.
The organization made its debut in the 1981 Culver Polo
Benefit held at the Chicago Armory. The Equestriennes performed
in the Opening Ceremonies of the American Quarter Horse Congress
in October 1992 in conjunction with the Lancer Platoon, and it
has ridden in several parades
throughout the Midwest. The distinctive pin worn by the
Equestriennes was designed and created by Sarah Brown, CGA '83
and a charter member of the Equestriennes.
|
