Father of The US Calvary
A WWII museum exhibit in New Orleans that runs through October titled “Loyal Forces” made me think of Brigadier General Stephen Kearney. I’ll tell you why after the break on today’s Open Range, I’m Susan Allen. The exhibit in New Orleans honoring animals that served in WWII , the four creatures that proved most valuable to our troops; mules, horses, dogs and pigeons, failed to mention Stephen Kearney, so I thought I would! WWII was the beginning of the end for the horse’s contributions to war time efforts that began when Genghis Khan discovered his Mongol ponies gave him the advantage of strength and speed over his enemies. Hundreds of years latter Stephen Kearney would value the horse for those attributes as well. As one of our finest officers he taught his mounted solders not only to be gifted riders but adhere to strict horse keeping protocol including meticulous grooming and regular shoeing something rarely practiced in the military. Kearney became famous as the commander of the US Dragons, an elite group of mounted soldiers he hand picked in 1833 to police the west. These equestrians were renowned not only for their riding skills, but also for their care, concern and handling of equines that up until Kearney’s day had been treated despicably. Called the father of the United States Calvary and I’ll add, our nation’s first horse whisperer. Kearny wrote a manual that instructed his dragoons to speak to their mounts in soft, soothing whispers. In some small way by honoring the horses and mules of WWII we also owe homage to the commander who taught US troops to respect them.
