A former Old Fort Days Dandie, who is also a lieutenant in the Arkansas National Guard, has formed an equestrian group that will be participating in parades and performing at area rodeos throughout 2024, including the grand entry of the annual Old Fort Days Rodeo in Fort Smith while honoring all branches of the military.
Mandy Fluitt, who rode as a member of the now-defunct Dandies from 1994-97, organized the River Valley Riders last year with a decided twist on the horseback drill team aspects of the unique riding club.
While the fifteen current members of the drill team for the organization still perform the breathtaking and crowd-pleasing maneuvers that has been described as "dancing on horseback", the real purpose of the group is to pay tribute to veterans and all branches of military service in the United States.
"Being military, it's very important to me that all branches of our military be remembered and honored," said Fluitt. "While everyone always recognizes the Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force, I always felt other braches of service like the Coast Guard, the Marine Corpsr Reserve, and even the National Guard got the short end of the deal."
The idea to reform a precision riding team similar to what the Dandie's provided for over four decades had been a passionate pursuit for Fluitt for the last few years after the organization disbanded in 2018 after hundreds of rodeo and parade appearances.
When she decided to go ahead and form the River City Riders, she felt like she was combining the best of both worlds by providing a riding club that would also pay homage to all the branches of military service in the country.
When the Riders post the flags during a rodeo Grand Entryor ride in a pararde, there are the usual amount of national, state, and even local flags. But there is also a flag in the procession that honors every single branch of the military, including a miniature Coast Guard flag carried by 6-year-old member of the organization.
Whereas the Dandies had a strict guideline as to the ages of the young ladies that could perform on the drill team, with the Riders those slots are open to anyone and everyone.
"We have members of the drill team as young as 11 and as old as in their 60s," Fluitt said. "Plus, we have members of all ages that participate in the riding club aspect of what we do. It's really kind of based on their skill level as a rider and how much they want to participate."
Fluitt says the organization is always looking for new members, as well as sponsors and donations that can help them achieve their goals of keeping a local equestrian drill team relevant and honoring the military and those who have served our country.
"In addition to what we do on horseback, we are also very involved in other aspects of the community,'" said Fluitt. "For example, we participate in the Toys for Tots campaign through the US Marine Corps Reserves, and our members are very devoted to helping out with the laying of wreaths on the headstones at the National Cemetery every year."
Fluitt added that the routine for the drill team is constantly evolving and that she was even scheduled to get some fireworks training in early February to add more to the theatrics of the presentation.
If you would like would like to become a sponsor or a donor for the organization, you can contact Fluitt by reaching out to them through their Facebook page.
You can also scan the image to the right to make a donation to the orgaization.
