Two Raymore-Peculiar High School sophomores are at the reins of a JROTC program unlike almost any other in the country: a cavalry detachment built around two horses that hold their own cadet rank. Brooklin Brandenburg and Serenity Sloan are helping lead the new unit, which pairs the students with horses named Royal and Reagan as they train together for public appearances.
According to FOX4KC, the detachment currently consists of just two cadets and two horses, but those horses are not mere props. Royal and Reagan each hold the rank of cadet staff sergeant, formally part of the unit's structure alongside Brandenburg and Sloan. Organizers describe the program as the first and only JROTC cavalry detachment outside a military academy, a distinction they attribute to themselves rather than an independently confirmed title.
Months of Work Behind Every Appearance
Getting a thousand-pound animal ready to stand calmly in front of crowds takes more than a few practice sessions. The cadets spend months building trust with their horses and preparing them for crowds, loud noises and unfamiliar environments, the station reports. That groundwork is what allows Royal and Reagan to show up composed at public events rather than spooked by them.
Organizers have broader ambitions for the detachment than just its current two-cadet, two-horse roster. The stated goal is to expand the opportunity to students from other schools, who could bus in for a half-day to take part, though that expansion has not yet happened and remains an aspiration rather than a confirmed plan, per the same account.
A Separate Army JROTC Program Is Also Coming
Raymore-Peculiar has also been approved to launch a full Army JROTC program, according to a notice from the Raymore-Peculiar School District, with that program scheduled to begin April 1, 2027. The district says it will work closely with U.S. Army Cadet Command and the 3rd Brigade JROTC leadership team as it builds out the offering. It is not clear from available information how that 2027 program timeline relates to the cavalry detachment already underway at the high school.
Planning for the Army JROTC program includes curriculum development, staffing and student recruitment, the district notice states. Facility considerations tied to the program are also included in the district's Prop RP bond election, which the district lists as occurring on April 7, though the notice does not specify the year.
Part of a Much Larger National System
Raymore-Peculiar's cavalry detachment, however it is ultimately categorized, sits within a JROTC landscape that spans the country. A Congressional Research Service snippet reports that the military services counted 3,475 JROTC units in FY2025, with programs running in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and overseas Department of Defense Education Activity schools, according to Congress.gov. Horses and cadets working together is not unheard of elsewhere, either. In 2022, JROTC cadets from Mansfield Lake Ridge High School visited an Army cavalry unit, touring a barn and speaking with troopers about their military roles, according to the U.S. Army. That visit involved cadets observing an existing military cavalry detachment rather than running their own school-based unit, a distinction that underscores just how unusual Raymore-Peculiar's setup is said to be.
