June/July 2023 Issue

Tell our advertisers you found them in East Coast Equestrian! EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN June/July 2023 Page 25 BLACK’S LIVESTOCK -The Next Pasture - Where the grass is always green, lush & stirrup high Individual Horse & Pet Cremation Standard Mortality 24 hour service available John E. Black: 610.220.5262 Matthew Hoffman: 610.656.3258 Office: 610.584.4482 Fax: 610.584.9111 BLACK’S LIVESTOCK P.O. Box 662 Skippack, PA 19472 www.nextpasture.com Reenactors Bring the World of Revolutionary War Dragoons to Life be in the front and be in the back and we place them in that order,” French said. The next challenge is deter- mining how the horse will react to the sound of gunfire. “Cannons do not normally bother the horses that much, it’s the loud piercing noises. By the time we fire the first round I’m going to know if that horse is going to work for us,” French said noting that for practice they use modern pistols firing blanks which have a higher pitched, more irritating sound than the black powder weapons. Firing begins at a distance of 100 or 200 yards from the horses. “If the horse shows he or she is going to be OK with this, we move closer and closer and by the end of the training we’re riding around shooting blanks off them,” French said. “There are some, not many, that as soon as you crack a round off you know this horse is never going to be comfortable. It depends on the temperament and mentality of the horse.” Today’s Continental 4th Light Dragoons take part in a wide range of reenactments across the mid-Atlantic region. Coming up on their calendar of planned events are: Battle of Monmouth, Manalapan Twp., NJ, June 17-19; Ft. Louden Market Fair, Fort Loudoun, PA, June 23-25; Kempton Gun Fair, Kempton, PA, July 28-30; Gosche Hoppen Folk Festival, Perkiomenville, PA, Aug. 11-12; Escorting George Washington at Princeton, NJ, Aug. 27; School of the Dragoon at Ft. Loudoun, Ft. Loudoun, PA, Sept 29-Oct. 1; and Mt. Harmon Plantation, Earlev- ille, MD, Oct, 13-15. Most training sessions are held at Fort Louden, in Franklin County, PA, which is the site of a colonial fort built in 1756 during the French and Indian War. “We are all very authentic. We do the things that they did back then, and we try to do as much as we can in the places where they did it,” French said. To remain true to the history of the dragoons, the unit gener- ally does not recreate a camp- ground. They sleep on the ground generally among the trees. If they have any tentage at all it will be a piece of canvas. Currently the unit has nine dragoons and seven horses. Everyone knows in advance what their duties for that day will be, whether it is setting up the picket line, feeding horses, or cleanup. Because they are normally in the trees (when there are trees) visitors may not know they are there until they see them charge the red coats. After battle reenactments they will be one of the last units to visit with spectators where the horses are a big attraction. “Everybody loves the hors- es,” French said. Additional information on the 4th Light Continental Dra- goons can be found on Facebook under the name of the unit’s first colonel in the Revolutionary War, Stephan Moylan. The 4th Light Continental Dragoons welcomes members who may not currently have a horse, equipment or proper cloth- ing. Women are welcome as well as men. “The idea is you have to look the part, that’s all we ask,” French said. The unit may provide loaner equipment and clothing for new or potential members as well as a list of necessary items and directions on how to get started. Options are also available for the lease or purchase of a horse. Those interested in becom- ing a dragoon may contact Jim French at (443) 695-6464 or email 4thlightdragoons@gmail.com . (Continued from page 4)