Horses at Arlington National Cemetery

2,766 Views | 17 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by bqce
bqce
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4:48p, 6/9/23
AG
I'm going to a funeral at the Arlington National Cemetery in July to honor an old skipper of the ship I served in in the mid 70's. A shipmate sent me an e-mail about the horses used to pull the remains on a caisson.being suspended because of their poor health. Now it looks like they've suspended that service until next July even though they still have a riderless horse for those eligible.

I've been around horses quite a bit and I'm at a loss for how that could happen. Does anyone have any inside poop on the backstory?
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FILO505
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In reply to bqce • 5:11p, 6/9/23
AG
Having served up there in DC with the Old Guard, I'll just say that I never had a very high opinion of the Caisson platoon. And that was confirmed by friends (with a background of dealing with horses) that served in the platoon and were just fine with leaving. Even after going through all the crap they had to in order to serve in the platoon to become a rider.
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bqce
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5:30p, 6/9/23
AG
That's interesting and incredibly sad. Who gets to command that group? It's not like that area is devoid of high quality horses, which should mean high quality horse services and hay/feed.
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FILO505
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In reply to bqce • 5:41p, 6/9/23
AG
It's a rotational command, much like any other platoon. The horses are, generally, donated or lent out, though. It's up to the platoon to care for them and treat them properly
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bqce
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7:21p, 6/9/23
AG
Thank you for your responses. It's just absurd.
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CanyonAg77
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In reply to bqce • 8:59p, 6/9/23
AG
bqce said:
That's interesting and incredibly sad. Who gets to command that group? It's not like that area is devoid of high quality horses, which should mean high quality horse services and hay/feed.

Agreed. Big horse country around there. There are probably lots of civilians who would volunteer to help with care and training. Heck, recruit a group of volunteers to do the funerals, if the Army isn't going to step up to the plate.
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CanyonAg77
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9:02p, 6/9/23
AG
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/arlington-national-cemetery-horses-suspended-for-a-year-caissons-funeral-honors/

Quote:
Horses at Arlington National Cemetery will be suspended for a year for rehab
BY ELEANOR WATSON
JUNE 8, 2023 / 5:32 PM / CBS NEWS

The Army is extending the suspension of horses leading caissons during funerals at Arlington National Cemetery through June 2024 due to their health.

The initial pause, which began in May, for the caisson platoon was scheduled to last 45 days. But during that time, veterinarians recommended significantly extending the pause to a year to give the horses more time for rehabilitation and for the Army to make changes to the program.

Due to injuries to their muscles, joints or hoofs, 27 military working horses have been referred to intensive rehabilitation facilities that have equipment the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment does not, Army officials told reporters Thursday.


I'm not a horse guy, but 6 horses pulling 2500 pounds a few hundred yards doesn't sound like it should hurt horses that much.
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Buck Turgidson
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10:43p, 6/20/23
Is there some reason they don't get new horses?! If the current ones are in poor health, replace them. Is there something unusual about the requirements for these horses?
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CanyonAg77
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In reply to Buck Turgidson • 7:11a, 6/21/23
AG
I suspect there are requirements for the breed, size, and appearance. But you can't just buy new horses. They have to be trained, and that takes a lot of time

I assume it takes a lot of training to get horses to pull together, and be safe and calm around crowds. Especially given the distractions. Traffic, aircraft, bugles, rifle volleys…. Can you imagine the outrage if one got loose or even worse, hurt someone?

That being said, someone should have figured out that "Old Dobbin" over there was getting a little old or sick, and started training replacements before this disaster happened
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cavscout96
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In reply to Buck Turgidson • 9:21a, 6/22/23
AG
Buck Turgidson said:
Is there some reason they don't get new horses?! If the current ones are in poor health, replace them. Is there something unusual about the requirements for these horses?
They are in poor health because they are, allegedly, not being cared for properly. If true, replacing the horses does not solve the actual problem which is reported to be:

poor care
poor and poorly maintained facilities

year old article:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/07/politics/army-horses-caisson-platoon-conditions/index.html
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cavscout96
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9:37a, 6/22/23
AG
Quote:
The report assessed that the pastures at Fort Belvoir were too small for the size of the herd. "The American Association of Equine Practitioners recommends one to two acres per horse2 and the Pasture Facility only consists of six acres," the report said. "Even at one acre per horse, the current acreage constitutes only 18.8% of the recommended area for equine use."
2ac/hd is all dependent on forage available and can be reduce and offset by quality hay and grain, but 6 acres for 60 head is not nearly sufficient IMO

for reference, Fiddler's Green (PMC) has about 30 acres of pasture and they keep +/- 60hd.

1st Cav Horse Det looks like it has ~60 acres for +/- 30 had. That is about 2ac/hd, but the forage availability and qualitity is much lower than the same (well managed) acerage in Va.
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bqce
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5:40p, 6/22/23
AG
If they don't have the resources to humanely care for those animals, they need to do away with the caisson service.
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cavscout96
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In reply to bqce • 11:27p, 6/22/23
AG
bqce said:
If they don't have the resources to humanely care for those animals, they need to do away with the caisson service.


Have you seen the DoD budget...?
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bqce
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In reply to cavscout96 • 10:25a, 6/23/23
AG
Yes. If the massive overspending on defense doesn't adequately fund the care and maintenance of funeral services animals, they should do away with the program
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cavscout96
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In reply to bqce • 9:55p, 6/23/23
AG
bqce said:
Yes. If the massive overspending on defense doesn't adequately fund the care and maintenance of funeral services animals, they should do away with the program
kinda my point. maybe we can re-allocate some of that waste to a more appropriate use, like honoring our fallen.
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bqce
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9:06p, 6/27/23
AG
So, beyond the horses, I have an ensign that flew over the ship he commanded, and it's the same size as one they use to drape the coffins. Do any of you that had exposure to the funeral details know if it's possible to use that one and have it presented to his widow or not?
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FILO505
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In reply to bqce • 11:23p, 6/27/23
AG
Contact Memorial affairs for the service. If you plan things out enough in advance, they're usually pretty understanding for special requests that don't mess with the SOP at graveside. Granted, I'm talking from almost twenty years ago, but I doubt they've turned into jerks about it. Biggest thing is getting in touch sooner rather than later
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bqce
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In reply to FILO505 • 11:25p, 6/27/23
AG
Thank you for that information. I'll do as you suggest and see where it goes.
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