The 1st Cavalry Division’s Horse Cavalry Detachment marches in the Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan. 1, 2022, in Pasadena, Calif. Fort Hood’s troopers and horses will again participate this week in the parade, as they have more than 20 times before. (Miriam Espinoza/1st Cavalry Division)
The Army will preserve two of the five ceremonial horse units that were to be cut for cost savings after determining the horses bring community engagement opportunities and capabilities that are difficult to replicate.
The units at Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Riley, Kan., will remain active, but the horses, mules and donkeys owned by the Army at Fort Irwin, Calif.; Fort Huachuca, Ariz.; and Fort Sill, Okla., will be put up for adoption and transferred out of the Army by July.
“After careful consideration, the Army has determined that retaining these [Military Working Equid] programs is in the best interests of the force,” said Col. James Fuhriman, assistant deputy for Army health affairs.
The plan announced in July called for cutting all five horse units to save the Army about $2 million annually. Keeping the two units and transforming them into official programs will cost the Army roughly $1.2 million a year, Army spokesman Tony McCormick said.
The Old Guard caisson units at the Military District of Washington and Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, were not affected by the horse reduction plans. Those units participate in funeral services for Medal of Honor recipients, prisoners of war, those killed in action and veterans ranked sergeant major or higher at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, in Texas, and at Arlington National Cemetery, in Virginia.
The ceremonial horse units typically bring alive the history of the cavalry during weekly public demonstrations and unit ceremonies as well as during parades, rodeos and events throughout local communities.
The 1st Infantry Division Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard at Fort Riley — with 30 soldiers, 18 horses and four mules — is reminiscent of Civil War-era soldiers. Fort Hood’s 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment represents the Army of the late 1880s, using Colt revolvers and sabers of the era with about 40 troopers working alongside 29 horses and four mules.
Each has participated in presidential inaugurations as well as many events within their local communities. Fort Hood’s troopers and horses will participate this week in the Tournament of Roses Parade in California, as it has more than 20 times before.
The Army will formally establish the two units as programs linking the Army and the American people through public demonstrations, educational outreach and participation in local events, the service said Tuesday.
The Army said Tuesday it recently established a new military occupational specialty, Army Equestrian (08H) as an example of its investment in the units. The new specialty replaces the “military horseman” identifier and creates a specialized career path dedicated to the professional care of military working equines. The specialty is currently open to infantry soldiers in grades E5-E9.
Soldiers could begin transferring to the specialty as early as next year, McCormick said.
“Supplying trained personnel and animals allows us to maintain the program’s high standards,” Fuhriman said. “It empowers the Fort Hood and Riley [military working equid] programs, much like The Old Guard, to continue their legacy of excellence in preserving the Army’s equine heritage.”
