Riding a Fine Line
Devising Sustainable and Healthy Operations for the Army Caisson Horses of Arlington National Cemetery
ResearchPublished Dec 9, 2024
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. This report presents findings on the causes of these issues — including resource limitations, contrasting missions for the soldiers, and insufficient equine expertise in the unit — and guidance for developing a horse-first approach that will make the Army's caisson operations more sustainable.
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.
Key Findings
- Caisson Detachment doctrine should be updated and extended, especially around training, but remain flexible in areas that require equine expertise.
- The Caisson Detachment's organizational model leads to conflicting priorities for the soldiers and quickly rotating personnel but may be difficult to change. The detachment also lacks internal equine expertise.
- Regarding personnel, hiring equine experts for the Caisson Detachment is difficult. There are issues related to the way the Army traditionally hires, a lack of consensus around desired qualifications, bureaucratic hurdles, and the need to hire for highly specialized roles. Additionally, there have been issues integrating civilians into the rank structure.
- The way the Caisson Detachment currently conducts training does not allow for the development of adequate horsemanship and riding skills; however, while it is not ready to conduct in-house training, the selection of appropriate contracted trainers appears to have been successful so far.
- Suitable horse procurement is a critical materiel decision. Breed characteristics and fit for mission must be considered, specialized equine veterinarians should be involved, and sufficient resourcing should be provided. Additionally, tack and equipment should be aligned with the mission and regularly tailored to the horses. The horses need a stable supply of high-quality feed.
- The Caisson Detachment's facilities are too small for the proposed herd size and will continue to pose a considerable challenge to sustainable herd health. Additional support facilities will continue to be necessary, and the Army will need to acquire them or continue to contract them to provide more pasture space for the horses.
Recommendations
- The Army should prioritize regular updates to the Caisson Detachment's doctrine and documentation and rely on established civilian equine expertise when doing so to account for changing industry standards and best practices. This guidance could be helpful to other Army equine units but must recognize their differing missions.
- The Army should modify the authorization document for the Caisson Detachment, turn to and empower civilian equine expertise, and develop and foster equine expertise within relevant Army leadership positions.
- The Caisson Detachment should continue hiring equine experts and investing in equine expertise; enhance hiring processes flexibility, especially for managerial positions; hire or contract expert civilians to perform training and horse care duties; consider working with peer herds; and try to recruit soldiers who are passionate about equine care and welfare.
- The Caisson Detachment should pursue horse procurement at a deliberate pace, purchase only horses that will thrive in the caisson environment, optimize procurement processes and structures, obtain tack that is suited to the mission and each horse, and explore opportunities to partner with suppliers of top-quality feed.
- The Caisson Detachment should either continue to contract offsite facilities or purchase offsite facilities nearby and contract an organization to operate them. The detachment should also provide — with extensive oversight — temporary stabling of the herd for the brief period during stable renovations and maintain a horse-first philosophy when developing, modifying, and using equine facilities.
Topics
Document Details
- Copyright: RAND Corporation
- Availability: Available
- Year: 2024
- Print Format: Paperback
- Paperback Pages: 176
- Paperback Price: $39.00
- Paperback ISBN/EAN: 1-9774-1458-3
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/RRA3298-1
- Document Number: RR-A3298-1
Citation
RAND Style Manual
McCulloch, Caitlin, Molly Dunigan, Nora Cyra, Irina A. Chindea, Bruce Held, Kiki Hunegs, Derek Eaton, and Matthew Fay, Riding a Fine Line: Devising Sustainable and Healthy Operations for the Army Caisson Horses of Arlington National Cemetery, RAND Corporation, RR-A3298-1, 2024. As of April 8, 2025: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA3298-1.html
Chicago Manual of Style
McCulloch, Caitlin, Molly Dunigan, Nora Cyra, Irina A. Chindea, Bruce Held, Kiki Hunegs, Derek Eaton, and Matthew Fay, Riding a Fine Line: Devising Sustainable and Healthy Operations for the Army Caisson Horses of Arlington National Cemetery. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2024. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA3298-1.html. Also available in print form.
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The research described in this report was sponsored by the U.S. Army for the Military District of Washington (USAMDW) and conducted by the Strategy, Doctrine, and Resources Program within the RAND Arroyo Center.
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