Sir Richard Grenvile's Regiment of Horse

So you want to be a trooper, eh?

So what does it take?

Well, obviously, for a start, you have to be a really good rider.

Wrong!

Even if you can't ride at all, there's still things for you to do in Sir Richard Grenvile’s Regiment of Horse. Every Cavalry Regiment there has ever been needed or needs ground support, and we are no different, so if a non-rider wants to join, we definitely have room for him or her.

But if you want to ride in the battles then obviously you have to be a really good rider?

Well, yes, it helps. However, there is good riding and there is good riding. In this activity, style and technique do not count for nearly as much as the raw ability to get a horse to perform, mixed with a good dose of enthusiasm.

There is little scope for fine riding in a battle. For a start, you will, or should, have a weapon in one hand, leaving only one for the reins. Secondly, your horse will be in an environment with which most will not be familiar. With guns going off, explosions being detonated and people screaming, shouting and waving weapons about, your horse will not react as normal and therefore your normal aids will go out of the window.

What counts are courage, enthusiasm and confidence. We have had seriously well-qualified riders who could not adapt to battling at all and total novices who have taken to it like a duck to water. Many horses, when put in the unknown conditions of the battle, will take their lead from the rider. If the rider is nervous, the horse will not perform; if the rider is confident, then so will be the horse. They can tell.

In short, you need to be able to do two things. One, control your horse well enough so that you are not a danger to yourself, it, or anyone else on the battlefield, AND, two, carry and use a weapon at the same time. For us, it has to be both.

Do I have to be rich to join?

No. On most occasions, the horses are paid by the English Civil War Society and the Regiment has spare kit that you can borrow whilst you decide whether the activity is for you (*but see later on...)

To come along and try, you will need to bring some basic clothes; a tent or similar shelter;  food and drink; and beer money. How much beer money you bring depends on how much beer you intend to drink.

So, what else can you tell me?

1) Well, you need to be able to take orders. For your safety, the horse's safety and the safety of others on the battlefield, orders must be obeyed promptly. Sometimes they will be shouted, and on occasions, they will be delivered in colourful language. You will be expected to obey them - without answering back or questioning them. If you get a bollocking, you will be expected to heed and learn the lesson involved, but not to bear a grudge or get upset.
 
You will, at the outset, have no idea of the amount of different concerns that the officers have to juggle during a battle. If you do something wrong, or dangerous, they will not have time to consider your feelings. You will be told plainly. If the infringement is minor, then the officer will probably have forgotten it by the end of the battle. If it is major, then it will probably be reinforced one-to-one after the battle. Either way, you need to learn but not resent.

If this part of it is going to be a problem, then this hobby - or at least this Regiment - is not for you.

2) Sir Richard Grenvile’s Regiment of Horse is an equal opportunities outfit. It doesn't matter who you are, where you are from, what your background is, or what race, sex, creed, colour or species you happen to be, you will be judged on one thing, and one thing only - your ability to perform as part of the Regiment.

If you can obey orders, meld with the Regimental family, take the good with the bad and perform as expected and required, then you will be accepted as one of us, no matter who or what you may be. If you can't, then you won't. Simple as that.

3) If you get into the activity, it will start to cost you a fair amount of money.

Initial joining fees are cheap, Membership of the Regiment and the King's Army will be around twenty five quid per year. We have regimental equipment to lend to newcomers. All you have to pay for is to get there, feed and water yourself and beer money.

BUT - if you get into the hobby, then it will start to bite. You will rapidly find yourself not wanting to borrow Regimental kit but to buy your own. Your own pair of boots at £150, your own sword for £200, your own uniform for £300 +, your own hat, your own gloves, your own armour, etc. No one will make you buy any of it. But, if you get into it, you WILL start to want it. Take it from us, we've all been there, done that and got the T-shirt (not to mention all the rest of the gear...)

Well - now you know what it involves. If you fancy giving it a whirl, give us a call.

George Bowyer, Flat 11, The Stables Milton Park, Peterborough PE6 7AF, Tel : 01733 380177, Fax : 01733 380072