Active Duty U.S. Army Spc. Bryan Stapleton of the 11th ACR Horse Detachment won 3 ribbons and the top rider in our Novice Level! His accomplishments include:
1st Place Overall in Level 1 (Novice)
1st Place in Military Horsemanship and Mounted Pistols
3rd Place in Military Field Jumping
This was Stapleton’s first time competing at the National Cavalry Competition. When asked what helped him succeed he responded with the following:
“Something that Shawn (Stephey Livestock) said that has stuck with me is ‘Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.’ It really put me in the right mindset to do the best I can on my horse Fritz while we overcame some of our biggest battles at Nationals.”
Stapleton is 20 years old and started riding in August of 2021 when he was assigned to the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment-Blackhorse Horse Detachment, but had no experience prior to joining the unit. His horse Fritz is named after Harold A. Fritz, the 11th ACR’s only living Medal of Honor recipient, who has established a relationship with the young Trooper and is proud of how he represents him and the unit! Stapleton is a dedicated Trooper who works hard and has earned the right to be called a Champion