Etain Equestrian

About Etain Equestrian	The Story of Etain	Training Groups
Training Groups Each group who goes through the training with Etain Equestrian will be allocated a horse's name, and the group name for those who trained from 25th - 31st July 2005, is 'Sefton'. 'SEFTON' From Jilly Cooper’s book – Animals in War ‘On the morning of Tuesday 20th July 1982, a new guard formed by the blues and Royals Mounted Squadron rode out from Hyde Park Barracks to take over as the Guards at Whitehall. Well aware that they were the loveliest sight in London, they rode with pride, and the usual crowd gathered along the pavement to marvel and applaud. Just as they were approaching Hyde Park Corner, a nail bomb hidden in a nearby car was detonated, killing four members of the guard. What sent shock waves of horror and outrage through the world, however, was that seven of the beautiful, glossy black horses which carried the soldiers were also killed and three severely wounded. Sefton, at nineteen the oldest, was the most badly injured. His jugular vein was completely severed and a six inch nail had pierced straight through his bridle into his head. After twenty-eight pieces of shrapnel were removed from his body, he made a slow but complete recovery, and returned triumphantly to work in November, having become a national symbol of courage and stoicism. ……………… It was at Melton Mowbray that I first met Sefton and the other seven Household Cavalry horses about seven weeks after their terrible ordeal in Hyde Park. There was Bandit, covered in scars, who kicked anyone who went behind him; and Quo Minus known as Jimmy, who was always kept in the stable, because he shivered with cold every time they put him out in the field; and Eclipse, who had a nail piercing him that had to be wound out like a corkscrew. In the tackroom, the get well cards and presents of carrots and barley sugar and mints were piled to the ceiling. Most of them were for Sefton, who lapped up all the attention, obviously realising he had become a star. The other horses jumped when a gate was slammed too hastily, but not Sefton. His wise old head with its wide white blaze looked out over the green door. The scars on his pitted body were healing well, and as I put my arms around his neck, for a minute he rested his velvet whiskery chin against my shoulder. ‘I’m sorry.’ I whispered, ‘for what’s been done to you, and all the millions and millions of other horses down the ages’. And suddenly I understood the courage and philosophical acceptance that has sustained him and all the million others, as he began gently to nudge at my coat pocket in search of his favourite barley sugar'. 'BUCEPHALUS' Taken from Gilly Cooper's book - Animals in War "The Greeks didn't use cavalry with any great efficiency until the fourth century BC, when Philip of Macedonia built up a well-drilled army which his son Alexander was later to exploit with such genius. Out of 40,000 men, 5,000 were cavalry. With this comparatively small force, Alexander was able to overthrow the might of Darius, King of Kings, who is estimated to have taken the field with a million foot soldiers, and 40,000 horsemen. Alexander's revolutionary technique was to advance his infantry not in a straight line, but in the shape of a V pointing towards the enemy. This caused a dent in the opposing flanks allowing his cavalry to sweep in on both flanks. Alexander was exceptional among Greeks and among most early soldiers in that he was absolutely devoted to his horse Bucephalus. The name means 'Ox Head', the horse was so called because he had a particularly wide and handsome forehead. The legend goes that Philip, Alexander's father, had bought Bucephalus for a large sum, then found him vicious and unmanageable. The horse was about to be destroyed when Alexander, then aged twelve, asked if he might try to ride him. Despite the scoffing of his father, and no doubt sniggering of the stable lads, he walked quietly up to Bucephalus, stroked him, swung his head towards the sun, and mounted him without difficulty. He was the only person to realise the horse was terrified by his own prancing shadow. The delighted Philip gave the horse to Alexander, who was also the only person Bucephalus ever allowed on his back. Alexander rode Bucephalus through all his triumphant campaigns, but as the horse grew older, he used other horses for routine camp duties like inspecting and addressing the troops, and saved Bucephalus for the thick of the battle. At the battle of Hydaspes in 326, when Alexander defeated the King of India, the gallant old warhorse who must have been at least thirty was wounded in the neck and side. Gushing blood, he carried the unscathed Alexander out of the fray, and only collapsed and died peacefully knowing his master was safe. Alexander was prostrate with grief. Bucephalus was buried with full military honours and a city was built over his grave."