Army to Resume Use of Horse-Drawn Caissons for Arlington Funerals Two Years After Horse Deaths

Army to Resume Use of Horse-Drawn Caissons for Arlington Funerals Two Years After Horse Deaths https://ift.tt/TOG6Y4X

Two horses were euthanized in 2022 due to poor living conditions and feed; the program was suspended for two years just a few months later

Win McNamee/Getty 

Horse-drawn caisson.

After a two-year hiatus, the Army will once again use horse-drawn caissons for funerals at Arlington National Cemetery.

The program will resume the first week of June, said Karen Durham-Aguilera, executive director of the Office of Army Cemeteries and Army National Military Cemeteries. With the wellbeing of the horses in mind, the caissons will be used no more than twice in a day, up to 10 times per week.

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“After careful consideration and coordination, we are pleased to reintegrate the caisson conveyance into funeral services at Arlington National Cemetery, a solemn and revered tradition that honors our veterans and service members as they are laid to rest,” Durham-Aguilera said.

Mark Wilson/Getty

Arlington National Cemetery.

The 2-year pause came after horses Mickey and Tony were euthanized in 2022 due to poor living conditions and feed, the Associated Press reported. The use of horse-drawn caissons was then halted in May 2023, in favor of a program aimed towards bettering the horses' conditions. At the time, the remaining horses retired and were sent to live in Florida.

An investigation into the horses' conditions proved that the fields in which they grazed had sparse grass and could only support six or seven horses — not the 64 horses that relied on the pasture when Mickey and Tony were euthanized.

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Prior to the program's pause, 30 funeral processions were held in one week. On Tuesday, Maj. Gen. Trevor Bredenkamp told reporters that two full squads — comprised of 11 horses each — can support 10 funerals per week, and when their goal of four total squads can be accommodated, the number may be raised to 20 funerals per week.

Related: Jimmy Carter's Casket Arrives at U.S. Capitol in Horse-Drawn Funeral Procession

Bredenkamp added that all horses in the two current squads are new, allowing the horses that formerly pulled the caissons to rest.

AP Photo/Kevin Wolf

Horse-drawn caisson.

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A horse-drawn caisson procession is reserved for soldiers killed in action, senior commissioned and noncommissioned officers and senior warrant officers, as well as recipients of the Medal of Honor or the Prisoner of War Medal. And, of course, the honor is also reserved for former presidents, should they wish it.