Almost Last But Not The Least –

Horse Guard Stalwarts Brave The Elements For Bush Inaugural

By Steve Bigham

It was starting to get dark by the time the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard made their way down Pennsylvania Avenue during last Saturday’s inauguration parade. And as the group approached the reviewing stand, they were somewhat blinded by immense spotlights that created an impressive glare of lights and long shadows.

“There was steam coming from our mouths and those of the horses, and everything was very clear as the light passed through the horses and people in front of us. It was like a movie special effect,” recalled Horse Guard spokesperson Greg Weaver this week.

Moments later, the horse guard passed in front of an appreciative President George W. Bush, who had been sworn in just a few hours before. The experience was well worth it for the Second Company, although it made for a very long day. The parade was delayed in starting by more than an hour, and the horse guard ended up having to sit in saddle for nearly six hours on a cold and rainy day.

“It was pretty brutal, but we lived through it,” said Mr Weaver, adding that a few nearly succumbed to hypothermia. “We sucked it up and got it done.”

Televised nationally to the nation, the parade was led by Mr Bush, who was forced to remain inside his limousine for much of the route. Thousands of protestors turned out to remind the new President that not everyone was celebrating his election.

A total of 11,000 marchers and 360 horses converge on downtown Washington for the event.

The Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard’s 30-member unit departed from its headquarters at Fairfield Hills at 5 o’clock last Thursday morning and arrived in Washington six hours later. There had been plans to stop off in New Jersey to rest the horses; however, they appeared to be doing well, so it was decided to just keep going.

The 20 or so horses were kept at Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Connecticut’s First Company Horse Guard of Avon also kept its horses at this location. All 50 states were represented in the parade; however, according to Mr Weaver, Connecticut and Texas were the only states invited to bring their horse cavalries.

After a day of preparation on Friday, the horse guard was up at 3:30 am Saturday and immediately headed to the equestrian center. From there, police escorted the men, women, and horses to the station areas in downtown D.C. Each horse group and band had its own staging area.

“We stayed there until the parade began six or seven hours later,” Mr Weaver explained.

From that spot, the horse guard could faintly hear the echoes of President Bush as he gave his speech.

The parade was scheduled to begin at 2:30 pm, but didn’t actually kick off until 3:45 pm. It was a two-hour parade and the Second Company was placed at the end of the line and didn’t get started until 4:30-5 pm. By that time, most of the crowd had dispersed.

“There were some hearty souls, but most of the bandstands were empty by then. We were second to last in the entire parade. There were lots of police. They wanted to make sure there was a cop every six feet and they definitely had that. By the time they came through, there were far more police than people,” Mr Weaver explained.

As for President Bush, he remained at the reviewing stand the entire time, waving to each group as it passed by.

The somewhat dazed group out of Newtown then had dinner at Fort Meyer in Virginia, which houses personnel and other items used during ceremonies at nearby Arlington National Cemetery.

“We had filet mignon. We were supposed to get there at 7 pm, but we didn’t actually arrive until 11:45,” noted Captain Gordon McNeil.

The Second Company also marched at inaugurations for both Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. Bill Clinton chose not to have a military presence at either of his two inauguration parades. 

The horse guard is one of the oldest horse cavalry units in continuous service in the nation. The all-volunteer unit is part of the Organized Militia in the Military Department of the State of Connecticut under the command of the Adjutant General, Major General William Cugno. It was formed by an act of the Connecticut Legislature in 1808. The horse guard can be seen each September in Newtown’s annual Labor Day Parade.

The Second Company unit currently consists of nearly 50 members and 31 horses. The unit was activated for a border conflict with Mexico in 1916 and during World War I. It also served as a machine gun unit in France. During World War II, it served as an anti-aircraft unit in the Philippines. Members were activated for Y2K emergency management at the regional command center in Litchfield a year ago.

The horse guard takes part in weekly drills that include basic military skills and US Army Horse Cavalry Drill. Mandatory Annual Training (AT) is eight days long and is conducted at the National Guard Training facility at Camp Rowland in Niantic, Conn. The unit rides in authentic 1928 model McClellan saddles, the last issued by the US Army.

Horses are donated to the State of Connecticut for use in the two horse guard units. They are all geldings and are mostly Morgans and Quarter Horses.