The Army announced changes Wednesday to the way it will care for the gray and black horses that carry service members’ flag-draped caskets to their final resting places in Arlington National Cemetery after the deaths of horses in the ceremonial unit exposed their poor living conditions.
The horses are part of the caisson platoon of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, which is best known for guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the cemetery, located just across the river from Washington.
Compounding the problem, the hay was so low quality that it could not be easily digested by older horses like Tony as they nosed it around on the ground looking for edible feed. Army veterinarians noted the issue six months before the horses’ deaths but did not raise their concerns past the platoon leadership. And the platoon had no way to force the hay supplier to provide higher-quality hay because the Army contract did not specify the nutritional value required.
“The platoon took it personal because nobody wanted this outcome,” Pepin told reporters on Wednesday. “Every time you went by and saw the missions, we never saw a horse that looked like it was lame. We never saw a horse that looked like it was having issues. What we saw was expert soldiers and horses that looked great. So it kind of masked the underlying problem.”
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