The Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery, The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and the Household Division

Ever sat watching the parade for the Queen’s birthday and admired the skills of both the horses and their riders? Ever wondered where training for such events originates? Well, read on to find out about the gruelling training courses, dedication and sheer talent needed to become one of this elite band of horsemen and women.

The Army School of Equitation is part of the Defence Animal Centre based in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. Along with the Equine Division, the site is shared between the Army School of Farriery, The Services Veterinary Hospital and The Canine Division.

The school comprises of 150 stables, an indoor riding school, menage, cantering track, jump lanes and a 60 fence cross-country course along with 240 acres of grazing.

Captain Richard Lyne, Equitation Officer and former member of the Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery, is the man in charge of the activities at the School of Equitation. Although the main objective is to provide equitation training for the mounted units within the London District (The Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery, The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and The Household Division make up the mounted units of the British Army - about 400 horses in total) the School provides equitation training for other members of the Armed Forces too.

The School is also responsible for arranging remounts (new Equine recruits) and providing rest and recuperation for all horses owned by the Ministry of Defence. There can be 260 horses at grass at any one time, with as many as 80 arriving or leaving the same day.

The main Equine course is the Advanced Military Equitation Course which qualifies riders as Military Riding instructors (approximately Assistant Instructor level). The course runs from April to September, and is made up of twelve experienced junior ranks or young officers from the Kings Troop or Household Cavalry.

A very demanding course

It is a very demanding course, the first six weeks are dedicated to improving general riding and stable management skills, with not a spare moment in the day. Once students reach the required standard, they are taught to break-in and bring on young horses. Horses are backed, ridden away in the basic paces, jumped and introduced to traffic - all in 12 weeks!

In the last two months, students teach civilians in the evenings, giving them valuable experience in preparation for the military instructional exam at the end of the course.

This is not the end of the road either. Two years later, all riders must return for an upgrading course and only then can they become fully qualified B1 Military Riding Instructors (approximately equivalent to Intermediate Instructors).

National and international successes

The staff compete successfully both nationally and internationally in all disciplines. This summer, the School are hosting the whole of the Royal Tournament Jumping Competition for the first time. There will be over 180 horses on site for the week, together with numerous personnel. It is an exciting, but very demanding and expensive prospect.

Kbis is delighted to be involved in this new project and are sponsoring the main class, the Kings Cup and the Novice and Open Championship Showjumpers class.

A typical day in the life of an AMEC trainee

Each student is responsible for one stabled horse. Mucking out, quartering down, yard duties and tack-up for the first ride. Students usually find out that only by starting at 6.30am can these tasks be completed on time.

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