Mounted Patrol Training Tip # 4 / Learning Activity from Stan Buscovich – 05/25/01:
Subject: The Mounted Unit Organization Formula
The Mounted Unit Organization Formula
The five essential elements needed to make a Mounted Unit function professionally:
- People: (qualified personnel who want to be a productive part of the
mounted unit)
- Policy : (approved and up to date rules and procedures – mounted unit
general orders)
- Training: (the constant and continual key to success – individual training
everyday / group every other week or at least once a month)
4. Supervisors: (knowledgeable and or mature individuals who have leadership
skills)
- Discipline: (a condition of order based on obedience to authority / a set of
methodsor rules of conduct)
Over the years I have observed mounted units that are successful, and ones that are not. It makes little difference whether the unit is from a large city or county, or from a small town. Nor does it matter if the mounted unit is full-time, part-time (i.e. collateral), or a civilian search and rescue unit (SAR). What does matter is that the mounted unit consistently follows a working formula, which is essentially a set of established organizational rules. Webster’s Dictionary defines a formula as follows:
“An established form of words or rules for use in a ceremony or procedure. A recipe. A group of symbols or figures expressing a single rule or idea.”
For Mounted Units, designing an appropriate formula, and implementing standards associated with the formula, will ensure success for the mounted unit over a given period of time. The five essential elements mentioned above make up the basic architecture for a working mounted unit formula. All are important to make a mounted unit operate professionally.
A famous eastern quote is, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Keeping that concept in mind, the main idea of this particular mounted patrol training tip can be illustrated by using an instructional method called a Video Quiz. To begin, rent the recently released Academy Award winning movie “Gladiator” from your local video or DVD store, and write in your answers next to the five elements of the mounted unit organization formula at the end of the prescribed viewing period. I only want you to watch the first eleven minutes of the movie (including the opening credits), and then fill in your answers. I want you to look for the five important elements (i.e. people, policy, training, supervisors and discipline) that you observe in the movie, which correlate to the rules stated in the mounted unit organizational formula. For your answers, just write a few words after each of the five elements.
Introduction to the Quiz:
The opening scene in the movie Gladiator is set in Germania, 180 AD. The Roman Army, led by General Maximus, is fighting the final battle against the barbarian horde that refuses to submit to the rule of Rome. The entire first eleven minutes of the movie is important for the Video Quiz, but keep a sharp eye and ear open for the scene when Maximus leads a mounted cavalry charge (an on-line formation) at the gait of the canter. He motivates his men by his example, and keeps them in check by yelling, “hold the line,” and “stay with me.”
Take the video quiz now:
Watch only the first eleven minutes of the movie and then fill in your answers and observations below in the appropriate place next to each of the five elements. Important: do not read on past this point (my answers to the video quiz are stated below) until you have viewed the video and completed the quiz.
The Mounted Unit Organization Formula
The five essential elements needed to make a Mounted Unit function professionally:
1. People:
2. Policy:
3. Training:
4. Supervisors:
5. Discipline:
Now that you have completed the video quiz you’re probably thinking that I have stretched this instructional explanation of The Mounted Unit Organization Formula a little to far by using a movie like Gladiator; however, it’s important to keep in mind that the Roman Army invented and developed most of the crowd control tactics that we still use today (e.g. movements and formations). In fact, just about the only thing that the Roman Cavalry didn’t create or develop in their art of war were the stirrups – that credit belongs to the Huns. For more information on the Roman Calvary, I recommend reading “Training The Roman Cavalry”, from Arrian’s Ars Tactica, by Ann Hyland.
To reiterate, the purpose of the mounted unit formula is for organizational structure, as well as a detail or an assignment. All elements must be active and in place in order to guarantee success. As stated before, this formula, a structured set of rules, is not just for large cities or full-time mounted units, but also for small or part-time units, civilian SAR mounted units, etc.
Use this formula on a quarterly basis to check your status (i.e. level of performance) at any command or S.O.P. meeting. If all five elements are in place, I can guarantee that your mounted unit is both well organized and performing in a professional manner. You should also consider using this formula to help prepare you and your mounted unit before leaving your equestrian headquarters for any number of details or assignments (e.g. law enforcement from a horse, color guards, burial services, crowd control functions, public relation presentations, search and rescue details, etc.). In addition, the formula can also be used after a detail as a critique to help gauge what was effective and what was not. This organizational method will help your unit prepare for successful mounted assignments in the future.
As a last step in this process, compare your answers with mine at the bottom of this training tip message.
The Mounted Unit (Roman Legion) Organization Formula
The five essential elements needed to make a Mounted Unit (Roman Army, battle scene location Germania – 180 AD) function professionally:
- People: The most professional army (soldiers / cavalry) in ancient
history for 1,000 years, who conquered the Western World.
- Policy: They had an obvious, well executed “Battle Plan”.
3. Training:By observation, they were well organized and highly
trainedfor action.
- Supervisors:General Maximus, and a chain of command.
- Discipline:“Strength and Honor” was their code, and discipline was
the rule.
2001 Stanley Buscovich. All rights reserved.