Riding a Fine Line: Devising Sustainable and Healthy Operations for the Army Caisson Horses of Arlington National Cemetery

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McCulloch, Caitlin.

Contributor:

Chindea, Irina A.

Cyra, Nora

Dunigan, Molly

Eaton, Derek

Fay, Matthew

Held, Bruce

Hunegs, Kiki

Language:

English

Other Title:

Riding a Fine Line

Place of Publication:

RAND Corporation 2024

Summary:

In 2022, the deaths of two horses revealed issues within the U.S. Army Caisson Detachment, which conducts full honor funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. To understand the causes of these issues and develop recommendations for a better path forward, the authors conducted an extensive literature review, interviewed 70 equine experts and Army or government personnel, visited several domestic and international equine facilities, and performed six case studies of equine herds analogous to the Caisson Detachment's herd. The authors' analysis revealed several findings related to the Caisson Detachment's doctrine, organization and leadership, personnel, training, materiel, and facilities, and the authors developed specific recommendations within these topics. Their findings included problems with resource limitations, a lack of sufficient equine expertise in the unit, and brief tenures and contrasting missions for the Caisson Detachment's soldiers. To address these and other issues, the authors recommend three paths forward for the Army: (1) Rethink Army maintenance of these historic operations, (2) modernize operations in line with recent equine science and best practices, and (3) improve day-to-day operations at the ground level. While each option will present unique costs and challenges for the Army, all three options are undergirded by a horse-first approach to the Army's caisson operations, which is essential to ensure a sustainable future for the Army caisson horses.