Horse Guard Packs Up

In Case A Move To Avon Is Ordered

By Kendra Bobowick

& John Voket

After First Selectman Pat Llodra learned Tuesday that the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard (2GHG) members were “being ordered to move their supplies” into trailers on site at Fairfield Hills, State Representative Christopher Lyddy confirmed that a previous agreement he and Representative DebraLee Hovey struck with the adjutant general for the Connecticut National Guard remains in good standing to keep the horse guard active in Newtown until at least August 22.

The prospective move hinges on a number of conditions, including the resolution of a new agreement between the state and its union workers, and how that new labor deal will affect the state budget. As of Tuesday, 2GHG Commandant Major Gordon Johnson said he is simply following orders.

“It’s not over until it’s over” was a common phrase repeated several times as the 2GHG members worked quietly to collect their things in boxes and storage units this week. Suited up in the 2GHG riding gear and white T-shirts Tuesday, horse guard members quietly polished brass memorabilia, bound leather straps, tack and saddle gear, and boxed up personal items from lockers and store rooms.

With sturdy hand trucks members up-ended industrial office desks and rolled them into the back of a semi, while large cardboard boxes waited stacked in a hallway, ready for travel. In an upstairs room with tables covered in photo albums and bound posters, two members unfurled large photo images of past parades and horse guard functions.

Reps Lyddy and Hovey conferred with military department officials Tuesday morning after learning of the activity in Newtown “to discuss the fate of the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard.”

Following a conversation with General Thaddeus Martin, Rep Lyddy said, “I called directly to get clarification on this situation and to ensure that our agreed-upon plan to maintain the guard in Newtown until, at the very least, August 22 was still in good standing.”

The agreement stands, Rep Lyddy learned. The Second Company received orders to begin packing, but General Martin maintained that he has no intentions to move the horses or the supplies until August 22, if at all.

This latest activity comes close on the heels of a meeting with the local lawmakers and General Martin July 28, during which Rep Lyddy said “we were able to develop a number of ideas to address our concerns with the plan to move the Second Company to Avon as a result of this ever-changing fiscal situation our state is facing.”

In an e-mail following the July 28 meeting, Rep Lyddy said, “I am encouraged by our meeting with General Martin and remain committed to working with the Military Department and the Governor to ensure that Newtown and the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard are well represented. We must develop a plan that satisfies the need to keep Newtown’s unit up and running while also being sensitive to the fiscal situation facing our state. I am confident our plan addresses both of those issues.”

Rep Lyddy also detailed a plan that emerged, stating, “We reached an agreement this morning that will ensure no horses are transferred to the Avon facility until August 22, if there is still no agreement between the Governor and the unions. The agricultural worker assigned to this site has been laid off and will work until August 24. This gives us until that date to see if the unions ratify the agreement with Governor Malloy.”

If the unions ratify the agreement:

General Martin will recommend to the governor that both the First and Second Company Governor’s Horse Guards will remain open at their existing locations with a herd of ten horses each, a reduction to both units. The governor will have to agree to this plan.

The herd reduction will result in approximately $38,000 in savings to the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard.

General Martin has agreed to have the Military Department work with legislators and other state agencies to develop a public-private partnership that will allow the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard to operate.

This public-private partnership will be a pilot program to ensure the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard is able to raise the necessary funds to sustain the operations at the Newtown facility.

It is expected that if this plan move forward, the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard will contribute $35,000 in the first year and then an additional $50,000 in the second year toward the partnership.

The pilot program will be established to ensure the guard can effectively operate a herd of ten horses with the support of the state and private contributions. If the unit is able to do this, younger horses may be added incrementally to the herd over time to ensure a young, less costly, and healthier herd for the guard.

If the unions fail to ratify the agreement, the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard volunteers will transport the ten strongest horses to the Avon facility on August 22. The additional horses will be retired.

Part of the latest order included making evaluations of each horse in the Newtown facility to determine which were young enough or strong enough to make the move, if it occurs.

If there is an agreement after August 22, the Second Company may be returned to the Newtown location with the intention of developing the public-private partnership.

Rep Lyddy said after speaking with the general Tuesday that he believes the military official has subscribed to “a predetermined outcome” regarding a possible consolidation of the two horse guard units to Avon. The lawmaker said he hopes the general will keep the lines of communication open between his office and officials in the community who are monitoring the process.

“While I appreciate the general taking my call to listen and respond to my many concerns, I must say that the Military Department should communicate more effectively with the interested parties to ensure that all are on the same page and to prevent misinformation being spread,” Rep Lyddy said. “The Military Department’s actions [to order trucks to be loaded with gear and supplies] suggest a pre-determined outcome which leaves many people questioning their motives and future action. This sets in motion a sentiment of distrust amongst the community which I believe is completely unnecessary.”

Rep Hovey told The Bee that between today and August 22, “there will be lots of comings and goings” at the Newtown facility, and she hopes that volunteers and supporters remain optimistic, but refrain from jumping to conclusions or communicating unverified information through their social networks in the community.

“This general appears to be extremely sensitive to civilian gossip, and at this point we want to do everything possible to avoid being irritating,” Rep Hovey said.