Atwood will retire from the U.S. Army in April 1999 as 1st Sergeant of the Commanding General's Mounted Color Guard at Fort Riley, KS, where he works with equine. In the unit, he oversees 15 soldiers and 18 horses whose mission is to demonstrate the Army's proud cavalry tradition and horsemanship for military ceremonies, parades, festivals, schools, scouting events and VIPs. To provide authenticity, the ceremonial unit portrays the U.S. cavalry as it appeared in the late 19th century wearing the blue uniforms and riding in reproductions of the McClellan saddles. In 1998, his unit performed in over 150 events.

Mark loves the rich heritage of the cavalry and believes in a strong foundation of safety, basic knowledge of the horse and the bond of the rider and the horse. The knowledge of Mark's equine training is a result of his training with the Fort Riley Cavalry School as taught in 1935. He stresses the key to working with any horse is becoming one with the horse.

Approximately 500 horses have passed under Mark's training hand. He prefers to work with equine that have been mistrained, abused or neglected, turning them into a valuable asset for the owners. However, he welcomes the training opportunity of other equine that have less serious problems.

Mark has studied the styles and methods of many trainers and recently attended the Oklahoma Horseshoeing School graduating in Breaking and Training on Jan. 25, 1997 and Training Under Saddle on Feb. 22, 1997. Additionally, he attended the Certified Horsemanship Association School graduating in English and Western Instructor Training on Nov.21, 1997. Mark also participated in the Wild Horse Workshop in Antioch, Calif. October 1998 as a clinician where he gentled started several wild mustangs in a one week period.

Mark took on the professional training status in 1991 while stationed in Germany with the Army. While working with the European Cowboy Association and riding rodeo stock, he realized this was a turning point in his horsemanship career. He acknowledged that he had a gift for handling and training equine and would like to share his knowledge and ability with others.