The horse cavalry program at Texas A&M was originally founded in 1919 as part of the program to commission reserve officers into the Cavalry branch of the Army. Within a few years, horse drawn artillery instruction was added to the curriculum. At its peak in 1942, the Cavalry unit boasted 500 members. The unit thrived until 1943 when the horse branches were disbanded and considered obsolete. Thus the equestrian unit would become another closed chapter in the history of Texas A&M... or so it seemed.

In 1972, three motivated cadets approached the Commandant of Cadets and asked for his help in reviving the fading memory of the horse cavalry. Colonel Tom Parsons '49 gave his blessing to the enterprise and solicited a $10,000 grant from the Association of Former Students. Parsons Mounted Cavalry was named in his honor. Mike Collins was the first Commanding Officer during the '73-74 school year.

In the early years, all the horses were supplied by cadets, who assumed most of the costs to run the Cav since it was not yet a University financed organization. Many people aided the new organization as it began to gain national attention. In 1975, it also gained the staunch support of Dean John Fritz of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Dean Fritz donated blankets, riding gloves, and leggings for the horses, a gesture that would later earn him a post on the U.S. Olympic Equestrian Team.

The first home of the Cav was a small plot of land at the Bryan Airfield Annex. This was unsuitable for the Cav's needs. In 1977, a piece of land called "Hernia Hill" was loaned to PMC by the Association of Former Students. This home was even more temporary because in 1979, A&M President James Miller gave a 27-acre plot of land to the Cav located at Turkey Creek Road and FM 2818. The Cav named this place "Fiddler's Green."

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