Caisson rolling again: Famed military horse unit resumes operation for former President Jimmy Carter

WASHINGTON ? For the soldiers and horses carrying former President Jimmy Carter's casket to the Capitol, Tuesday is as high-profile and no-fail a mission as they get.

The five soldiers and eight horses of the Army's Caisson Detachment halted, the U.S. Capitol on the hill, about a mile away. Wind scythed down Independence Avenue in northwest Washington under a milky sun. Snow was on the way. Spectators, surprised by Sunday’s rehearsal, snapped photos. A Labradoodle yapped.

The soldiers muttered encouragement; their horses nickered. An honor guard loaded the caisson, a ceremonial wagon designed a century ago to ferry artillery to the battlefront and the wounded and dead to the rear, with an empty coffin. The practice procession resumed, and a rider in front took the lead. The riderless horse, with boots facing backward, brought up the rear.

“We are executing our flagship mission,” said Lt. Col. Branden Quintana, commander of the Caisson Detachment, part of the Army’s 3^rd Infantry Regiment known as The Old Guard. “There’s no better way for us to pay our respect and honor the former president. It’s something we feel in the center of our heart, the pit of our stomach. This is the pinnacle.”

Almost two years ago that summit seemed inaccessible. The Army suspended the horse unit’s operation in May 2023 following the deaths of two horses used to haul caissons in funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. Veterinarians and horse experts called for a total renovation of the program, “down to the studs,” Quintana said.

USA TODAY had exclusive access to the stable, soldiers and horses as they practiced for Tuesday’s procession. The soldiers, horse experts and veterinarians talked about their moment in the spotlight and the reforms needed to get there. It’s their first mission since the suspension.

“We have the opportunity to do it on a national stage,” Quintana said.

Where they were

The caisson detachment at Fort Myer, adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, assumed duty to escort funerals in 1948. It followed the tradition of using a caisson, three, two-horse teams along with three riders.

They performed stately, somber ceremonies for years at the cemetery: handsome, dark and gray horses pulled a gleaming caisson, spit-and-polish soldiers with signature high-and-tight haircuts directing the operation.

Behind that scene, though, the unit had suffered from too much work, antiquated equipment and inadequate care for the horses. In 2022, the Army euthanized two horses, Mickey and Tony, after it was found that they had eaten sand or gravel that fouled their guts.

The Army suspended the caisson operation in 2023. The remaining horses retired to Florida.

How they got here

The Army hired highly qualified experts for advice that ranged from finding the right horses for caisson duty to designing the curriculum for soldiers who care and ride them. Jim Westbrook, an expert on horse carriages and wagons, helps identify and buy new horses for the unit.

The horses are stabled at the NOVA Equestrian Center in the Virginia suburbs, a 40-acre facility with the space and equipment necessary to keep them fit. Their turn-of-the-century stables at Fort Myer are also being renovated.

Each horse has a custom-fit saddle, scrapping the historic model used for 75 years. The Army also modified the wagon they haul, dropping as much as 1,400 pounds from the load.

Olympic equestrian gold medalist David O’Connor supervised the creation of a 12-week course to teach soldiers basic horsemanship. Paired with their horses, the soldiers then head to Ocala, Florida, for six weeks of intensive training for the caisson mission.

The standard of caring for horses has risen over time, and the Army had fallen behind, O’Connor said. It takes expertise, time and money to catch up. It also requires athletic soldiers to ride, steer and understand them. Horses are social animals who relate to each other and their human handlers.

“We’re trying to protect the horses and do the right thing,” he said.

Carter's memorials approach

On Sunday morning, before their practice run, the horses woke to a chilly morning. They’re staying at Ft. Myer before the event. Steam puffed from the nostrils of Burns, a 10-year-old mustang from Nevada, as he stared out from his stall.

Some soldiers groomed their horses and applied shiny black polish to their hooves. Others swept wood shavings and manure. It felt calm, quiet, routine.

The soldiers and horses have been rehearsing for months, with bands playing and cannons firing to prepare them for the pomp and circumstance of a president’s funeral, said Maj. Wes Strickland, a spokesman for the Old Guard.

Not every president requests horses for their funeral ceremony. John F. Kennedy did, and Black Jack, the riderless horse, vaulted the caisson unit into the public eye. George H. W. Bush did not. Ronald Reagan, a noted enthusiast did, and that’s the last time the caisson unit took part.

“We’re under a microscope,” Lt. Col. Derrick Draper, deputy commander of the regiment. “People will be looking for the slightest flaw. And they should be. We hold ourselves to the highest standard.”

On the route, the horses proceeded at the steady walking pace of a person. Clip, clop. Clip, clop. They stopped, they started, they turned in unison. They didn’t flinch, O’Connor noted, when Pershing’s Own, the Army’s band, broke out "God Bless America."

Col. Clayton Chilcoat, an Army veterinarian, kept watch with a first-aid kit in hand. He liked what he saw. A calm, quiet routine.

No surprise to Sgt. Shawn Tabor. He’s 27, from Loveland, Colorado, and grew up around horses. He’s been with the unit for seven years and has completed 550 caisson ceremonies. Soldier and horses are ready.

“I love these horses,” Tabor said. “It’s very, very humbling to be part of burying a U.S. president. To be able to honor him and his family.”

Sunday’s practice came off without a hitch.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jimmy Carter memorial: Famed military horse unit resumes operation