The Caisson Detachment of the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) is an iconic part of U.S. military history. Since 1948, the unit has provided horses and soldiers to pull the caisson, the wagon that bears a casket, at military funerals at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. This honor is bestowed on all Medal of Honor recipients, those who were prisoners of war or who were killed in action, and senior officers.

Unfortunately, the Caisson operations were halted in May 2023 after four horses died in 2022 (two in February, and two in November). It soon became clear that the unit was not being run properly, and that the horses were suffering from neglect, unsanitary conditions, poorly fitting tack, lack of pasture time, and being fed low-quality feed. Jon Kreitz, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (Retired) said that the core of the issue was the lack of equestrian experience in the people who were tasked with caring for the horses.

“There wasn't a single soldier in the unit that had prior horse experience before being assigned there. They didn’t know what they didn’t know,” explained Kreitz, a lifelong equestrian who spent 37 years in the Navy. The problems were due to “budget decisions, manning decisions ... it was like death by a thousand paper cuts,” he added. Another contributing factor was that the Army recruited only from their parent unit in the D.C. area as opposed to “looking Army-wide for people with horse experience,” Kreitz said. The staff simply lacked the equine knowledge and experience to sufficiently care for and train the horses, and manage their health and welfare.

Kreitz, who has served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee at US Equestrian, was made aware of the issues by a fellow board member, and then began important conversations with Major General Trevor Bredenkamp, commander of the Military District of Washington, of which the Caisson Unit is part. Kreitz and a couple of close USEF friends then used their Rolodex of contacts to gather experts in the horse world, which included veterinarians, farriers, the driving community, facility managers at world-class horse farms, leadership from USEF, executives at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla., and more to attend an Army Equine Summit in December 2023 at Fort Myer, Va.

One of the experts he reached out to was David O’Connor, decorated Olympian and US Equestrian Chief of Sport, who went on to oversee the development of a 12-week Basic Horsemanship Course for the soldiers assigned to the Caisson Detachment. O’Connor was invited to attend the summit to share his knowledge on social license, horsemanship and horse welfare.

“Major General Trevor Bredenkamp had one of the best opening lines I have ever heard,” O’Connor recalled from the summit. “He stood up and said, ‘I just want you all to know that we do not know what we're talking about.’ He was so humble and so open, he is such a good leader in so many different ways.” O’Connor assured the Army personnel present that they had already done the hardest part by admitting there was a problem, and he was soon recruited to help them resolve the issues.

“We looked at the situation from a holistic standpoint where it wasn't one thing that was wrong. It was all things that were subpar,” O’Connor said. “It was a program that was run under a minimum budget without the necessary expertise.” Some of the many pieces of the puzzle to solve were basic care, boarding facilities, tack and education. In his 12-week program, O’Connor went back to the basics — teaching how to lead, how to put a halter on, how to catch a horse, etc. The soldiers then did six weeks of on-the-job training, where they worked with people who had already been through the program.

As driving is such a huge part of the Caisson Detachment, they were also sent to train with celebrated combined driving champion, Chester Weber, at his farm in Ocala. “Chester and his people have been instrumental on the driving side, teaching them everything from equipment to harnesses,” O’Connor said.

The Army also brought in Jim Westbrook, an expert in carriages and wagons, to aid in rebuilding the Caisson Detachment and finding new horses for the team. All of the original horses in the unit have been rehabilitated or retired, many of them to Mary Roberts’ private farm in Ocala. When Roberts made the offer, Kreitz told the Army representatives, “This will be the best option you could ever possibly imagine for these horses.” The average age of the herd had been 15-20 years; however, the new horses are aged between eight and 10. They are all black Percheron crosses that can be rotated in and out of duty, giving more recovery time for each horse.

“The long-term process is to have a facility where education, rehabilitation and continued training will happen on-site,” O’Connor explained. “The horses will rotate in and out of Fort Myer. They will potentially do a five-day mission of five funerals a day, then go back to the farm for two weeks as the next squad of horses comes in.” The stalls at Fort Myer are in the process of being expanded, as they are currently the size of show stalls. To date, there are 37 horses in the revised Caisson Detachment, and purchasing trips are ongoing. The ultimate goal is to have 70 horses, making up six squads with 11 horses each.

Rather than the unit being overseen only by the Army, moving forward “there will always be outside oversight coming from people who are in the horse world,” O’Connor said. The greatest area of progress that he has seen so far is the enthusiasm of the soldiers to learn how to ride and how to take care of the horses. “They want to learn. I was there last week, and I was really proud because the horses look fantastic,” he said. “They're all big, they're shiny, they look so healthy. Everybody has played a part in making this work.” 

The Army has also recruited soldiers from around the country with equestrian expertise to be deployed with the Caisson Detachment. “The soldiers they are bringing in have been phenomenal. Some of them were horse people beforehand. They are motivated, compassionate, and excited to become professional military equestrians. One of the soldiers even rides dressage!” Kreitz said.

The new stable of horses’ first official assignment was at President Jimmy Carter’s state funeral in Washington, D.C. on January 9, where they created “a very powerful image,” O’Connor said. The Caisson Detachment will resume a full schedule of services on June 2.

“I hope there is success for many years to come, meaning the horses are always receiving great care while they provide the honors our nation’s heroes have earned,” Kreitz said. “The welfare of the horses has to continue to remain the top priority — their care, their feeding, their facilities. The Caisson Unit needs to be properly sustained indefinitely.” To Kreitz, success does not only mean the unit conducting flawless funeral honors, it also means seeing physically and mentally healthy horses when you enter the barn. “You want every horse to be relaxed and happy to see you, ready to go to work.”