4.7.22
The military horses that carry America's heroes to their final resting place in Arlington National Cemetery are living in unsanitary and potentially life-threatening conditions, according to a US Army report, consuming poor-quality feed, suffering from parasites and standing in their own excrement in tiny mud lots scattered with gravel and construction waste. Two military working horses died unexpectedly within 96 hours of each other in February -- one of whom perished from what equine veterinarians say could have been preventable intestinal compaction that was caused by 44 pounds of gravel and sand found in his gut. The February report, compiled by the US Army's Public Health Command-Atlantic, found a host of systemic problems with the living conditions of the horses in the 3rd Infantry Regiment, also called the Old Guard, best known for guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The regimental commander's office requested the Army Public Health inspection after the two deaths, according to the report. The primary issues are a woeful lack of space, inadequate funding for improvements and routine turnover of the unit's top leaders, the report found.
Eighteen inspections conducted from 2019 to 2022 rated the sanitary conditions at the pastures, barns and paddocks as "unsatisfactory." Even though "significant efforts" were made by the soldiers of the Caisson Platoon, who train with and care for the horses daily, the animals' poor living conditions have persisted for years, primarily "due to [a] lack of funding," the report found. The 60-plus horses of the Old Guard are rotated between two facilities in northern Virginia: a stable facility with three paddocks nestled in the Army base at Fort Myer, barely 2 miles outside Washington, and a 6-acre pasture complex at Fort Belvoir, an Army base about 30 minutes outside the city. Even taken together, the two facilities fall far short of the acre per horse traditionally recommended by equine experts to keep the animals healthy. Senior leadership at the unit points to funding as a key challenge. "Find me a commander that doesn't want more money," said Col. Patrick Roddy, the commander of the Old Guard, when asked whether funding for the herd's needs was sufficient. Roddy said the Caisson Platoon is his costliest subordinate unit. Out of about 40 platoons, the Caisson herd consumes roughly 20% of the Old Guard's budget, according to the commander.
