FORT IRWIN, Calif. — On Feb. 25, 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, held a Spur Ride around Fort Irwin. The “Order of the Spur” is a Cavalry tradition within the United States Army. Troopers serving in Cavalry units are inducted into the Order of the Spur after successfully completing a series of evaluations set by the command, culminating in the final test­— the “Spur Ride,” for having served during combat as a member of or with a Cavalry unit. The tradition of having to “earn your spurs” reaches back to the beginning of the American Cavalry. When green Troopers first arrived at their new Cavalry assignments, they were assigned a horse with a shaved tail. This led to the nickname, “Shave Tail” for newly assigned, spur-less Trooper. These new Troopers were in need of extensive training in all areas of horsemanship. The horse with a shaved tail was given extra space in which to operate since its rider was marked as a novice. New Troopers were not allowed to wear spurs because they may misuse or overuse the spurs, injuring the horse. Only when they were able to prove their ability to perform with their horse and saber, were they awarded spurs. While we have traded in our horses for armored vehicles our regiment still carries on the Cavalry tradition.

Eaglehorse Troopers spent the early hours of the morning being evaluated on their levels of physical fitness, their ability to negotiate the Obstacle course and a Knowledge Test that tested Troopers on their knowledge of 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment history. Shave tails worked through multiple lanes that tested their proficiency on essential Eaglehorse tactical tasks. These lanes challenged Troopers’ knowledge of various weapon systems, battle drills, communication equipment, tactical combat casualty care, and much more.

Shave tails finally earned their spurs by completing an unknown distance ruck march. The ruck ended after teams worked together to carry a litter to the town of Guba where they gathered with their fellow shave tails and spur holders to honor Cavalry tradition by drinking from the Grog bowl. This Spur ride proved to be a challenging event and while more than 120 Troopers began the event not everyone was able to earn their spurs; however in the end, the Eaglehorse Spur ride produced over 100 fully-fledged Cavalrymen! Allons!