Fort Concho Riders Rake in Awards at National Cavalry Competition

Fort Concho Cavalry troopers Rick Dill and Ron Perry won six awards at the National Cavalry Competition at Fort Reno, Oklahoma, this past weekend.Dill and Perry took first place in their respective classes for the jumping course. In addition, Dill earned third place in his division for the pistol course competition.

Perry won the overall award for all competitors in his class for all events, based on total score for jumping, saber and pistol course, and general horsemanship. He placed first among 15 other riders in that classification.

Dill won an additional two awards. He placed first in combat horsemanship, a competition that emphasizes riding and horsemanship on a specific course. He also placed third in the Bolte Cup, the special course of jumping, shooting, riding and saber drill open only to those who place in the top quarter in the overall competition.

“Rick and Ron make us very proud, not only for their impressive achievement, but for their commitment to the program,” said Fort Concho site manager Bob Bluthardt, who attended the competition to encourage the riders. Because Fort Concho’s riders were decades older than the average competitor, Bluthardt said, “the course announcer started to call them the ‘geriatric duo.’”

Fifty-four riders from across the nation competed from Sept. 17-20 at the annual event, sponsored by the United States Cavalry Association, an organization founded in 1976 to preserve the heritage of the military’s mounted troops. Dill has been a member of the Fort Concho Cavalry since 1991. Perry joined in 2000. Both men have been regular riders in the National Cavalry Competition over the past 10 years.

The Fort Concho Foundation provided travel assistance for the trip to Oklahoma.