Duke, veteran of four presidential inaugural parades, retiring from Culver at age 25

Duke is now owned by one of Culver’s grooms who already owns three horses and has pastureland.

Munoz was going to ride Duke one last time on Sunday for the Gignilliat Ride, but it was canceled because of rain and temperatures in the 30s. Instead, Munoz rode Duke one last time in the Jud Little Riding Hall.

“It was sad, but it also was a big honor,” Munoz said.

Nicholls said there are two to three candidates to replace Duke. One of those horses, though, is 21 years old. Nicholls would prefer to go with a younger horse. He said a 7-year-old horse named Barbosa is a candidate, describing him as “quite a promising young horse.” Other horses being considered are Maverick and Captain.

A decision will be made in April. Munoz is excited to see which horse will be picked.

“I’m excited to be the first one to ride the horse,” Munoz said.

A brief ceremony was held Sunday to honor Gen. Leigh R. Gignilliat, who founded the Black Horse Troop at Culver Academies, at the Culver Masonic Cemetery on the southwest side of town. The normal Gignilliat Ride, to lay a wreath at Gignilliat’s grave, has been going on since 2016, when members of the Black Horse Troop and the Equestriennes ride from the Jud Little Riding Hall to the cemetery to honor Gignilliat, about a 2-mile ride. That is about how long the presidential inaugural parade is. Horsemanship leaders at Culver thought the ride would be a good rehearsal.

Nicholls decided to change that this year because he didn’t think trying to squeeze 60 horses into the cemetery for the ceremony was a good look.

“We’re trying to deliver a commemoration to a great man who helped to start Culver. It just looked scruffy. It didn’t really, I don’t think, pay full respect,” he said.

The plan this year was to have a ceremony with a color guard of six boys and five girls.

“I feel a boy and girl color guard carrying the stars and stripes, carrying Culver flags, in full regalia, would be a better way to honor Gen. Gignilliat,” Nicholls said.

In years before a presidential inaugural, the full squad of Black Horse Troop and the Equestriennes will take part in the ceremony, starting in 2028.

This year a small group drove over and held a brief ceremony. Jeff Kenney, archives manager at the Culver Academies Museum, noted that Culver had unveiled a bronze sculpture of Gignilliat on campus this past spring. He read the words on the bronze plaque accompanying the statue, including: “A leading light in the Preparedness Movement and Brigadier General for his World War I service, he exemplified the value of the Culver experience worldwide."