- 18 hours ago
Mounted soldiers in the US Army Caisson Detachment support one of the military’s most sacred missions: transporting fallen service members to their final resting places inside Arlington National Cemetery. The casket is placed on a wagon, known as a caisson, and conveyed through the cemetery by three soldiers. Each soldier rides one horse and controls another with their right hand.
Many of these soldiers start off with little to no experience with horses. After being selected based on their composure, discipline, and physical fitness, they must complete an 12-week basic horsemanship course, followed by six weeks of advanced instruction.
The Caisson Detachment returned from a nearly two-year suspension in 2025 after an investigation revealed that the deaths of multiple horses were connected to unsanitary living conditions.
The Army hired equestrian champion Chester Weber, an heir to the Campbell’s Soup fortune, to revamp the training. Weber assembled a team of world-class equestrian professionals and provided his family’s Florida stud farm as a location for the advanced training program, which culminates with a validation test that all soldiers must pass before they can ride in funeral missions.
Chief video correspondent Graham Flanagan went inside training to find out what it takes to be a mounted soldier in the US Army Caisson Detachment.
Many of these soldiers start off with little to no experience with horses. After being selected based on their composure, discipline, and physical fitness, they must complete an 12-week basic horsemanship course, followed by six weeks of advanced instruction.
The Caisson Detachment returned from a nearly two-year suspension in 2025 after an investigation revealed that the deaths of multiple horses were connected to unsanitary living conditions.
The Army hired equestrian champion Chester Weber, an heir to the Campbell’s Soup fortune, to revamp the training. Weber assembled a team of world-class equestrian professionals and provided his family’s Florida stud farm as a location for the advanced training program, which culminates with a validation test that all soldiers must pass before they can ride in funeral missions.
Chief video correspondent Graham Flanagan went inside training to find out what it takes to be a mounted soldier in the US Army Caisson Detachment.
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00:02it's the US military's most sacred mission mounted army soldiers transport
00:10the remains of fallen service members to their final resting place in Arlington
00:16National Cemetery today only 27 soldiers are qualified for the role many start
00:26off with no riding experience to get here they have to endure more than four months of training
00:34if you keep riding two meters over left you end up in the wrong funeral and it all comes
00:40down to one final test instructors grade the riders form and posture and one wrong move could mean
00:51failure we went inside their training to find out what it takes to be a horse soldier in the US
01:01Army
01:02caisson detachment soldiers who passed the first 12 weeks of basic horsemanship training move on to
01:21the final phase six weeks of advanced instruction in Ocala Florida known as the horse capital of the
01:30world Army soldiers trained at live oak stud a 4,500 acre farm owned by the family of Chester Weber
01:39an
01:39heir to the Campbell's soup fortune so my great-grandfather started the Campbell's soup
01:44company I'm not a maker of soup other than as a hobby Weber is an accomplished equestrian
01:50athlete having won 23 national championships in the sport of foreign hand carriage driving
02:00in 2024 the Army hired Weber to assemble a world-class team to train the soldiers like their riding
02:09instructor Inga Kuhn thank you spot I want straight lines I need space between my horses I'm not happy if
02:18you turn too late you will bounce into each other too early won't hurt you too late will hurt you
02:24nice
02:25soft good that's because I'm German I grew up as a daughter of a horse trainer so I was riding
02:34before I was
02:35born I was always into horses my whole life send the line boys men are you with me good case
02:43on detachment
02:43candidates are selected based on their discipline composure and physical fitness most of the soldiers
02:50arrive with little or no experience with horses your work horse support no first time what's that like
02:58it was scary at first but now I get used to it all the training so turn turn now don't
03:05wait when we do it
03:06perfect and I want it perfect then the center line is gonna be between Roberts and Sims she's very strict
03:13and
03:13that's one thing I like about her because I don't want some trainer that's like not
03:17gonna tell me what I need to work on and she gets she's on my tail 24-7
03:22specialist Jamie Sims is the only woman in the squad what's that like um I I think it's kind of
03:29normal I was at my old companies I was the only female too so I kind of got used to
03:33it it kind of
03:35helped having like the trainers that are females where are you sims you are like two meters over to
03:41the left if you keep riding two meters over left you end up in the wrong funeral division
03:51we are starting with putting the boys into the correct posture and in the correct position and
03:58helping them finding balance in case if something happens a horse spook to the side or gets a little
04:04faster or slower that they don't get out of balance and when we achieve this we start to ride in
04:08sections
04:09so we ride behind each other and when they can do this we put them pairwise together and let them
04:13ride in
04:14information wait everybody needs to work together since this was the mistake you did from the
04:20beginning on we deleted this mistake totally you never did it again now you're doing it again I don't
04:27want it I give you four and a half from ten points that could be better a person like that
04:32they really do
04:33care about you they want you to succeed and you know look great on a horse so I don't blame
04:39her for
04:39being you know hard on us if a person really cares they're gonna be hard 23 year old sergeant Nick
04:44Cardenas joined the army in 2022 as a motor transport operator for joining case on I had zero force
04:52experience I knew nothing so I just started asking questions started seeing guys what they were doing
04:57on a daily basis and over time it just I started flowing like water you need to react quick quick
05:03quicker when the mistakes happen you pick it up when they come in you go okay good this is gonna
05:08be hard and maybe we're not gonna make it and but I learned now say chill it's gonna be fine
05:15I'm very
05:15confident they get all through and we'll be fine way better reward the horses say them all good they all
05:23good learning to ride one horse is challenging enough but the soldiers also train on a six horse hitch the
05:32formation that pulls the wagon carrying the casket known as the caisson okay oh when you're going
05:41left get over to the right when you're going right get over to the left okay always check your own
05:47shit
05:47I know it seems like that's not a problem through there but it looks bad so we always check your
05:53equipment to train soldiers on the caisson Chester Weber hired David Saunders who worked as a coachman for
06:00the British royal family I was Duke of Edinburgh's coachman I worked for the Queen and I was served a
06:06majesty's pleasure for 20 years I told you yesterday the horses have got to cuddle up against each other
06:10that the horses are green and the drivers are green the riders they've just learned to ride so it's all
06:16a magical mystery to lead if you don't give them enough room oh you're screwed okay gentlemen at your
06:22leisure follow me they have to be spatially aware because it's all about starting stopping and
06:29steering three golden rules of doing postillion in the postillion riding style each soldier rides one
06:37horse while guiding a second with their right hand good job riders train on both a smaller wagon and the
06:45longer caisson which requires much wider turns good job look before you turn look before you turn take
06:51control wheel man take control there are three roles on the six horse hitch that pulls the caisson the rider
06:58in the front is the lead the rider in the middle is the swing and the rider in the back
07:04is the wheel the
07:06team works together to start stop and turn training on an obstacle course all together girls so together
07:14the course includes tighter turns than the horses would ever see at Arlington plus ground obstacles like
07:21pool noodles and hula hoops placed throughout this is nothing to simulate how they're going to do in a
07:29funeral but if they can do all this then the funerals will be a piece of cake
07:35it's kind of nerve-wracking because now it's higher stakes like it's training right now but
07:40then you have to also think okay this is real life missions like we can't mess anything up
07:48for decades the horses pulled a heavy artillery style wagon that weighed nearly 3 000 pounds in 2025
07:56the army introduced a redesigned caisson that weighs less than half as much as the previous model and has
08:03a price tag of $256,000 today more than 400,000 people are buried at Arlington National Cemetery the
08:15caisson detachment supports up to 10 funerals each week for select service members for 75 years the unit was
08:23synonymous with one of the military's most sacred traditions but in 2023 the army shut the program down the army
08:31says it is
08:31suspending the use of its military horses following reports the horses are living in unhealthy conditions
08:39the deaths of multiple army horses exposed unsanitary conditions and a lack of open space for grazing during
08:47the suspension more than 2 000 arlington funerals took place without horses
08:56the program returned in 2025 thanks to the army's investment of over 30 million dollars to build new
09:03facilities and revamp training that's why the army called chester weber you get there they said okay so
09:10when are you moving to haymarket virginia to help us with this program i said hold on a second guys
09:14there's
09:15no moving to haymarket virginia but i'll make you a deal if you guys come down to okla florida i'd
09:20be
09:20more than happy to help put together a team of fantastic people to bring excellence and perspective
09:25back to the program the army also put a horse veterinarian in command of the unit as we look
09:31at this and really kind of put the animal first and really put the animal welfare piece of it front
09:35and
09:35center it puts a different outlook on it than just solely completing the missions really completing the
09:39mission and actually more of the way we do it and you know putting the horses first
09:46the soldiers are the primary people that are actually telling us like hey something's wrong
09:49we're seeing them all the time so they can pick up on those little the little telltale signs where
09:52rather than treating an illness we're trying to prevent it before happens
09:57the soldiers are responsible for taking care of the horses
10:03feeding them cleaning their hooves and bathing them
10:10taking care of horses is a lot of work it depends on what you define as a lot of work
10:14some of it can
10:15be a little bit tedious but once you get in a rhythm once you just take things step by step
10:19it's not
10:20it's not too bad would you call horses high maintenance yes absolutely they're absolutely
10:25high maintenance all of them have their own like little personalities and you can see that in their
10:30ears their eyes their facial expressions everything
10:36most of the horses used by the caisson detachment are percherons a breed known for its strength endurance
10:44and calm temperament but they're prey animals instinctively wired to flee from danger just one
10:53spooked horse can disrupt a military funeral so they're trained to remain steady in an unpredictable environment
11:05former law enforcement officer casey farrell's specialty is desensitization so my role here is
11:11to teach the horse that if something scary comes in real life when they are doing their duty back
11:16in virginia is to stay calm and relaxed and then also teach the soldiers how to handle that
11:22during training an air cannon goes off without warning exposing the horses to the kinds of sudden
11:30noises they may encounter during a military funeral yeah just relax who cares about a cannon if you don't
11:38care the horses don't care so it's an air cannon and nothing comes out of it it's just gas most
11:43people tend to when they hear a big scary noise they tense up and when we're relaxed as riders then
11:49the
11:49horses relax as well there's a bang we don't want the horses to run away so they've got to be
11:53expect a
11:54bang all the time so it's for both of them so they don't shit their pants but don't put that
11:58on the
12:11so they're going to hear a lot of drums they're going to hear a lot of sirens gunshots birds so
12:23it
12:23just simulates anything that they're going to hear
12:27so i just call it the noise maker it's just a metal paint can it's got rocks it's got screws
12:33it's
12:34got pennies it's got all of that we were trying to figure out what can simulate the noise of a
12:39casket going on and off any of that so those horses get used to it back in the barn the
12:47soldiers wave
12:48flags in front of horses in the stalls to desensitize them to sudden movement and noise
12:57as training comes to an end in florida sergeant cardenas celebrates his 24th birthday
13:09the party in florida may be coming to an end but this squad's biggest challenge lies ahead
13:17six weeks later they're back in virginia training for their final test known as validation it's where
13:25we ran into a soldier just beginning his time with the caisson detachment who turned out to be a familiar
13:31face specialist derrick beasley a sentinel at the tomb of the unknown soldier we met while filming an
13:39episode of boot camp in 2025 after reaching the pinnacle of one elite army role he's starting at
13:46the bottom of another i finished my required time at the tomb and i wanted to stay in this area
13:52and
13:52continue working in the cemetery and honoring the dead like i did at the tomb perfect mission here
14:01inside arlington soldiers conduct training rides through the cemetery to familiarize the horses and
14:07themselves with the environment
14:13soldiers known as section workers follow closely to clean up after the horses
14:22everything has a part to play you know there's always a bigger picture so you know some people
14:26have an attitude towards it like oh why did i enlist for this like hey you're doing this because
14:30there's a purpose behind this the horses are connected to the wagon using a complex system
14:36of harnesses straps and reins known as tack the total cost for all of the tack used for the six
14:43horse hitch
14:44is about 160 000 dollars
14:50before they ride in funeral missions all soldiers have to pass the validation test
14:56today specialist sims and sergeant cardenas are getting their chances
15:03the test is held in a parking lot the test simulates the caisson's role in a funeral
15:10riders are graded on their form posture and their ability to control the horses if distractions arise
15:18they're feeling the pressure right now they're nervous because it's the one thing that you're
15:22here at caisson to do but they they have all the training they need and they are fully capable
15:37things were going smoothly until the horses came to a stop
15:51the instructors grade the riders on how they handle the situation
16:04the test is over do you think you passed no i don't think i passed i feel like it went
16:11okay besides the
16:12end the end was a little rough so we'll see what happens so if they pass this validation they're
16:18going to go into the cemetery and conduct military funerals with escort if they don't pass it's back
16:22to the drawing board for a couple weeks they'll get back into the training process and they'll try again
16:35so for the first iteration on lead with cardenas uh you did pass whenever the horse is back you corrected
16:42them
16:43you weren't egregious with it so good job on your your part sims uh so you did not pass um
16:51reason
16:51being is because you had dropped the offerings at one point londino went to go call a caisson
16:57forward hoe and before he could you had to gather your offerings and then at one point your foot did
17:02come out of the stirrup just make sure that you're keeping your feet in the stirrup if something were
17:07to go wrong you at least you're maintaining one foot in the strip all right good job today guys
17:18they said everything was good it's just like one safety hazard that i had my reins
17:24and i didn't have control of my horse at one point i didn't think it was a safety hazard but
17:31honestly they've done this way longer than i have i'm like i'm new to it i have high standards to
17:38myself i'm really strong-headed and like i talked to my sergeant and i was like so when's the next
17:42validation because i was like i'm ready for it like i know what i need to do and not do
17:47i just have to
17:48wait see what happens according to the caisson detachment specialist sims is still waiting to
17:55attempt her second validation test i feel amazing i can't wait to start it has been a long road i
18:02didn't i didn't think i was going to make it this far you know through all the training and the
18:06prep
18:06it definitely paid off today today sergeant cardenas rides in the lead position on an actual funeral
18:22mission in arlington national cemetery it's a very indescribable experience because months and months
18:31of training just the amount of weight on your shoulders just lets off but the experience like
18:36doing the missions it's humbling it's a great experience this funeral honored air force lieutenant
18:43henry j carlin who was killed in a plane crash during world war ii after being declared missing in
18:50action for nearly 80 years scientists used dna analysis to identify his remains
19:09emotions were all over the place it didn't feel real but at the same time you're just you're doing your
19:15job
19:18you're doing your job we only get one entrance in the cemetery one experience so i wish i could live
19:23it again filming for this story began on march 2nd 2026 the third day of the war with iran
19:36and one day after the first american troops were killed in an iranian drone strike in kuwait
19:43those killed in action qualify for burial at arlington with full caisson honors when you look
19:50at things that are happening overseas it helps you to really put in perspective what we're actually
19:53doing we're taking them to their final resting place that's why it's important that we do it correctly
19:58face on hold the weight of this job is very significant to me it means a lot so to be
20:06able to do
20:07this is something that really like sits heavy with me and just makes me give that extra push to do
20:12this job to the best of my ability
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