The military horses that carry America’s heroes to their final resting place in Arlington National Cemetery are living in unsanitary and potentially life-threatening conditions, according to a US Army report reviewed exclusively by CNN, consuming poor-quality feed, suffering from parasites and standing in their own excrement in tiny mud lots scattered with gravel and construction waste.
Highlights
- A US Army report reviewed exclusively by CNN found a host of systemic problems with the living conditions of the horses in the 3rd Infantry Regiment, also called the Old Guard, best known for guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
- The primary issues are a woeful lack of space, inadequate funding for improvements and routine turnover of the unit’s top leaders, the report found.
- Two horses died unexpectedly within 96 hours of each other in February – one of whom died from what equine veterinarians say could have been preventable intestinal compaction caused by 44 pounds of gravel and sand found in his gut.
- A senior leader at the regiment said they had been unaware of the systemic issues documented by the report.