Long Trot

by Grant Nicolle

  At the end of the course we each had to complete our military riding instructor assessment and also our British Horse Society (BHS) Assistant Instructor assessment. I was fortunate to pass both courses. The AMEC culminated in a one day event on our half trained horses. Beatrix and I never really clicked in the dressage and we got the lowest score. This was mostly down to me still not being able to work a horse softly into an outline. Beatrix then embarrassed me by resolutely refusing the first cross country jump in front of the whole course (as well as Mother and her partner Ken, who had come to see me pass out from the course). I managed to get her over eventually, completed the course and got round the show jumping to finish last in the one day event. Even though I had spent six months full time on an intensive riding course, I still had a lot to learn.

  After completing my AMEC course, it was time to actually join the Troop in St John’s Wood (or ‘the Wood’). Once there, one of the first jobs I was asked to do during my handover period was to organise a national two week recruiting tour. I was given six horses, one field gun, ten soldiers, one horse box, one lorry and one Landrover to utilise. I had a month in which to plan the tour, using only a guide book listing all the UK’s rural county shows. I called Show secretaries offering our services as a main ring attraction, and secured enough bookings to make up a tour. The itinerary took us from Cumbria to Devon via North Wales, Staffordshire and Shropshire. The recruiting tour was a great success in that we had no mishaps and we managed to display our one gun team in a thirty minute show to crowds of varying sizes. Our display commenced with a short demonstration of how the Troop trains a horse to work with the traces on. The single horse was then put back into team and the gun team walked, trotted and cantered round the ring. The gun was unhitched from the horses, a few blank rounds were fired before being re-hitched and them galloping out of the arena. I was on the microphone giving a running commentary for the team. As we were on a tight budget, we stayed in a variety of free accommodation provided by the shows which included tents, barns and barracks, with the horses often being stabled nearby at a local farm.

  At two of the shows we were challenged to compete against the local riders in a hunt race which would take place in the main arena at the end of the show. This would be a great additional opportunity to highlight the equine skills of the Troop. Having no spare horses available for our displays, I accepted the challenge on the proviso that horses were provided by the show for our soldiers to compete on. This made the spectacle even more challenging as our soldiers would not have ridden the horses prior to the race and this made for a disadvantage. The hunt races included numerous jumps but key to our success was a requirement to dismount for a gate opening and then remount. All Troop soldiers can speedily mount from the ground with ease (by vaulting on) and it was with this advantage we managed to beat the locals using borrowed horses. The tour was interesting to organise and great fun to lead and be part of. I had been given an especially talented group of riders for the tour, which hopefully impressed people watching and made people consider joining up.

  Once you were inside the gates at The Troop, time seemed to have stood still from early in the last century. The uniforms, saddles and bridles have hardly changed for almost a hundred years. The guns, limbers and traces still are exactly as they originally were when they were used in the First World War. It felt at times like one was working in a live military museum. The Troop is quintessentially about maintaining tradition and keeping exceedingly high standards (especially when it comes to polishing leather and shiny metal), and this can be a little strange when you are living in the 21st century. Reveille was sounded by trumpet at 0530 each day to initiate mucking out. The junior soldiers were sent out on morning exercise whilst the remainder stayed to conclude tidying the lines.

  As Orderly Officer you were required to lead the morning exercise for 90 minutes round London. I liked to plan my routes well and try and take a different route each time. Favourites included going round Hyde Park, or a long trot up the hill to Hampstead. One Sunday morning I attempted and succeeded in taking a reduced exercise from the Wood over Westminster Bridge (which was very rarely achieved) and back in the allocated time. This required a large amount of trotting and the soldiers involved supporting the challenge. When morning exercise returned at 0800 the lines were immaculate and the trumpeter sounded the call for morning feed. Once the horses were fed the soldiers and officers then went for their breakfast. After breakfast soldiers returned to the lines to commence grooming, and the endless polishing of leather and metal for the next parade. The day sometimes involved further riding in the form of some show jumping or a military riding lesson. On other days the whole Troop would ride to Wormwood Scrubs to practice our formal display, both on the grass and on the all-weather surface there.

  Officers, who were not on Orderly Officer duty, would be on their first charger by 0600, after walking through the lines at 0545 to ensure mucking out was progressing. As a Section Commander I was responsible for exercising two chargers daily. Officers could choose whether it was two flatwork sessions in the indoor or outdoor school, or a hack out into London. At the weekends we were lucky enough to be able to invite friends (who could ride) to join us for a hack out. It was a rare privilege to ride over Hampstead Heath, Primrose Hill or to go galloping down Rotten Row in Hyde Park. Now that the Troop has moved to Woolwich, I understand that the morning routine has changed so that morning exercise goes out after breakfast.

  During my time at the Troop I was fortunate to ride on parade for: firing royal gun salutes in Hyde and Green Park; the Queen’s birthday parade (Trooping of the Colour); Royal Windsor Horse show and other regional shows (including Sandringham and the Royal Welsh) and undertake the 4 o’clock Officer inspection at Horse Guards. To undertake the inspection, I rode in No.1 dress uniform from St John’s Wood, through Oxford Circus onto the Mall and through to the small barracks on Whitehall. The inspection of the guard there was completed on foot, before remounting and riding back to the Wood generally though Regent’s Park. On one particular return from the inspection I surprised a few sunbathers in the park who did not hear me cantering on the grass.

  When not on military ceremonial duties, I was fortunate to be able to participate in many equine competitions including show jumping, cross country, hunter chasing, one day eventing and team chasing events. These activities were promoted to all at the Troop as they helped both horses and riders improve their skills. Officers were tasked with the organisation of the entries and logistics for the competitions. Over the winter months there was the added bonus of many days hunting to be had in Leicestershire, with some of Britain’s well known hunts including the Belvoir, Cottesmore and Quorn. The Troop keeps a number of horses at Melton Mowbray over the winter specifically for hunting. This gives the horses a welcome break from the London routine and affords all ranks the chance to tackle big hedges.

  For two weeks every year each Section would independently travel to seaside locations around Britain to allow the horses and soldiers to unwind. I chose to take Centre Section to Blackpool as there was an International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH) centre at Penny Farm run by an ex-Sergeant from Centre Section, Tony Fleming. The horses thoroughly loved the camp, as they were turned out into the fields for some serious relaxing and equine socialising. As part of the camp we organised some cross country training round Penny Farm’s own course. We also made the essential trip to the beach at nearby Lytham St Annes. After loading up 20 horses into one of the big horse artic lorries, we took them down to the wide open sands. Traditionally, saddles are not used on a beach ride and the horses knew what to expect. They were ridden ‘in walk’ down to one end of the beach and then we turned and raced them down the whole length of the beach bareback. We expected fun-filled carnage and we weren’t disappointed. As we took off in gallop there were some immediate fallers, resulting in horses going off in all directions. The race was incredible fun, and as the few of us who actually made it to the end of t
he beach still mounted turned to witness the results, there were loose horses being rounded up everywhere and soldiers attempting to remount. Once back in a group we headed into the sea for the second part of the beach party, the swim. The horses loved the water and we managed to swim them as a group a short distance before riders began floating away from their mounts.

  Near the end of my time at the Troop I was lucky enough to be chosen to be in charge of an amalgamated Section sent to be part of the Edinburgh Tattoo. Whilst in Edinburgh for the Tattoo, the horses were stabled in Holyrood Palace mews and the two field guns housed in what is now the Holyrood coffee shop. Our short part in the Tattoo each evening was insufficient daily exercise for the horses. So, as the Officer responsible, it was my job to lead out the daily morning exercise of horses. I chose the routes, so on different days I took the horses all over the city. The rides included Portobello beach, where we had the horses walking in the sea, and over the pass between Arthur’s Seat and the crags. The Arthur’s seat route in retrospect, was not the most sensible idea, as the soldiers each ride one horse and lead another. The footpath was quite narrow and the horses (which are mainly used to road exercise) suddenly needed to be as nimble as a fell pony, which they weren’t. We had a great time in the City and it appeared that the general public and tourists in Edinburgh loved the horses. Edinburgh doesn’t generally see horses in the city centre apart from the mounted police branch on patrol from their then base in Fettes, Stockbridge.

  When I left the Army in 2003, I continued to ride where I could, managing to ride out on some point to point horses near Ludlow and at a race yard near Bridgnorth. I also managed to do some jousting at the weekends with a Shropshire based team who toured the country performing at small shows. During the jousting, for safety reasons, we weren’t permitted to intentionally knock the opposing knight off his horse. It was secretly predetermined who would win each bout. The winner used a lance with a discreetly weakened end which would break in a safe manner after contact with the losing knight’s shield. As I was the team’s spare knight, I had the dubious privilege of riding the least trained horse. My first show didn’t start well, we rode into the arena four abreast with our helmets on and carrying our colours on long standards. My horse then shied at the central rail, lurched sideways and I ended up on the deck with the horse cantering round on its own. This gave the crowd great amusement, to which I had no option but to smile, wave and walk off to get remounted for the jousts.

  Finally, I headed back to Scotland where I was to make my home in Edinburgh. In 2012 the King’s Troop moved out of their home of St John’s Wood (as their lease ran out) and were relocated in a new purpose built facility at George VI lines in Woolwich Garrison. Woolwich is the traditional home of the Royal Artillery, and I was fortunate enough to visit the Troop in October 2012 as part of a former Officer’s lunch and tour. The visit evoked many emotions for me, as this is where I was dined in to the Royal Regiment of Artillery back in 1997. The starting place of my short Army career is now where the future of the King’s Troop is. Although the facilities are better than the old barracks it does not replace the incredible sense of tradition and history that you felt when you entered the old gates on Ordnance Hill. I am glad I have seen where the horses and soldiers are now based, and am pleased that the new facilities are so good. I hope that the unit can survive the constant scaling back the MOD is undergoing. The fact that the horses will never be stabled in St John’s Wood again makes my memories of the time I spent there even more special and unique.

  That is the background of my link to and involvement with horses both in and out of the Army. I hope it maybe gives a flavour of the some of the experiences I have enjoyed and it may help explain a little why I decided to embark on this trip. The total amount of riding I have done is perhaps relatively little compared to many people who grow up riding, but I believe that I have managed to experience a wide variety of types of equestrian activities, and have had the good fortune to ride a large number of various types of horses.

  Preparing for the trip It was 2006, and my job as a project manager with the construction company Mace was becoming a tad frustrating. Mace had won the contract to build new Aldi stores all over Scotland and I had already been involved in managing the construction of three of them. The downside of this contract was the necessity of being relocated in distant parts of the country during each build. I was keen on actually spending some time in Edinburgh (where I lived) and so managed to convince Mace to relocate me to work on an RBS refurbishment project in central Edinburgh. This move gave me the time I needed to make plans. In the autumn I made up my mind to undertake the trip which would begin the following spring. To ensure that I didn’t back out of the plan I started telling a few people of my idea. Most thought I was crazy and that it would never happen, which was not a very reassuring reaction, except one key person. I had met Fiona through Matt, a good friend of mine who was a Captain in the locally based Royal Scots Regiment. Matt and I had become friends during our time working in the 2003 Edinburgh Tattoo. During the Tattoo period, Matt had ridden out with us on one of our morning exercises round Arthur’s Seat, the day the BBC team took footage of us for the Tattoo.

  Fiona had grown up with horses and has an amazingly driven personality. She thrives on challenges and once I had shared my idea with her she was fully in support of the plan. It was with this crucial support that I then started my research into the feasibility of the scheme. I bought all the books on travelling by horse I could find, and then read them carefully, making notes on the issues faced by equine adventurers. I used Google to investigate who else may have done anything similar. I discovered that a certain Vivian Wood-Gee had completed the trip with her daughter a few years previously. Managing to track her down, I called her up to seek some advice. She kindly invited me down for supper at her farmstead in the Borders, where I asked hours of questions about her trip and the issues that arose. It was great to meet Viv and meeting her in person was very useful as it gave me the renewed confidence that the trip was achievable and that I certainly should carry on with the planning and logistics.

  The trip as I saw it would be just me and one horse. No horsebox or support vehicle and no spare horse. I weighed up other options, but I still came back to the same plan. One sensible older horse, with strong legs and good weight carrying ability should do the trick. I would need saddle bags for my gear and equipment to look after the horse. Maps were needed, lots of them. I bulk bought all the necessary 1:50,000 Ordnance Survey (OS) maps on line and also some excellent OS 1:250,000 planning maps of the UK. From the planning maps (I needed 6 to cover the route) I first planned the outline of the route, before going into the detailed planning stage. My start point was to be John o’ Groats. Vivien had suggested that I go from north to south because this meant I would miss the Highland’s notorious midge season, a logic which I wholly concurred with. Thus I set the target start date as the 1st of May 2007 and the completion date to be approximately 12 weeks later (around 80 days). What was upmost in my mind during the planning was that if the horse became ill or injured at all (or for more than a couple of days at most), the trip was essentially over. I therefore kept the daily mileage to a sensible level. I reasoned upon averaging 20 miles a day for 6 days a week. This was to allow for a compulsory rest day for both the horse and me on a Sunday. I then poured over the planning maps and pencilled out a route of a series of 20 mile days (staying off the main roads) ensuring that I ended each day in a village which had at least a pub in it. My theory was that I would most likely be able to find a field for the horse, and I could then be sure to get food in the pub if required. This theory was to be well tested in the south west of England. So it was with this system of route planning I sketched out my rough route for the trip.

  The overall mileage was working out at approximately 1100 miles and the route managed to incorporate seeing and staying with a large number of family and friends along the way. I had purposely designed the route to take in anyone I
knew so that I could share the trip with them. This meant the route did take a slightly longer distance than if I was just heading straight to Land’s End.

  To do this trip I would need to get agreement from my employers Mace. My leave allowance would not stretch to this amount of time off. I had convinced myself that if they would not let me go I would hand in my notice to do the trip. Potentially quite a career risk, but one worth taking. Thus resolved, I duly outlined my plan to my boss and to my surprise they fully supported me. I was allowed to use all my annual leave for part of the trip and take an unpaid leave of absence for the remainder time. Superb, now we were on.

  All the planning in the world would mean nothing without a good horse, so it was crunch time. I needed to buy a horse fast, and then get it fit for the trip. It was now November/December 2006, and I had only 4 or 5 months before the start. Fiona and I were looking through the local Scottish & Northern Equestrian classifieds to see if we could spot a potential candidate. There were so few horses advertised for sale that I began to get worried that I would need to go across the border to source a capable mount. In the ads there was only one potential horse worth a look, a 16hh 12 year old Clydesdale cross. He certainly looked strong, so I headed out to East Linton to have a look. I met Marvellous (or Marv) for the first time and my initial thoughts were; he’s not a looker but he clearly had a strong personality (possibly a fair description of me too...). I took him out for a test ride, firstly in the outdoor school where he was as smooth as can be in walk, trot and canter and overall very relaxed. I then asked if I could take him round the stubble fields to see his speed work. I was told that he can be a bit fresh out in the fields, and so it turned out. Marv changed from being a soft school horse into a feisty bucking bronco as he sped round the field doing his best to unseat me. I loved the energy and spirit he showed and decided that he was the horse I was looking for.