Horse and Man

I am not an Eventer.

To be honest, some of those hazards really scare me.  I swear, cross country jumps look like the humans totally lost their marbles while setting them up…  And, when I read about horses going down at a jump (and never recovering), I get angry.  (A topic for another day.)

Having said that, I do find myself ooohing and ahhhhing over the profound athleticism of these horses and riders.  For me, I think it is admirable that any human and horse could have enough talent and train so diligently to compete in one event, let alone three (dressage, show jumping AND cross country).  Wow.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to the Eventing horse NEVILLE BARDOS.

Everybody loves a comeback story…

 

THE BEGINNING

It seems that Neville was bred as a racehorse in a very prestigious Australian barn.  Neville’s sire was an American stud who had been flown over for the year to do as much as he could during that breeding season.

Anyway, Neville wasn’t too great of a racehorse.  So, he was then repackaged as a jumper. However, he must not have shown much promise because nobody bought him as a jumper either.  But, just by happenstance, Boyd Martin was hanging out the day Neville was last tried.  Boyd was recovering from a broken leg so he was hanging around, watching the goings ons.  When the prospective buyer didn’t want Neville, his seller said that the horse was going to the slaughterhouse.  At that, Boyd offered $850 and Neville was his.

 

 

TRAINING

Training didn’t start out too terribly smoothly.  His first show was a disaster…  Ridden by Boyd’s wife, Silva, here is what they said about that day:

“Neville started his eventing carrier with Silva in late 2002.  It started terribly at the first event with Silva falling off at the second fence.  It took 15 minutes to catch him, but Neville did complete the course!”

Anyway, it got better after that, obviously.  They had an ingredient change… that change was Boyd Martin.  Boyd would ride Neville.

 

SHOW CAREER

Things got waaaay better for Neville and Boyd Martin.

I don’t know much about these shows or events except that they are prestigious.  I will list them here:

In 2006, Neville started showing great promise winning the Coffs Harbour CIC**, and then going on to win Melbourne CCI**.  He was later imported to America at the beginning of 2007.  He ran a credible 11th in his first CCI*** at Jersey Fresh and then in the fall of 2007 he had his best performance yet.  He came an amazing 4th at FairHill CCI ***.  In 2008, Neville hit the international stage, placing 9th at Rolex Kentucky CCI****.  He was short listed for the 2008 Bejing Olympics.  His results to date stand for themself! He won Fairhill CCI*** in 2009, and then went on to place 4th at the Rolex CCI**** in 2010. After that, he was named on the US team for the World Equestrian Games. He ended being the highest place US horse, placing 10th against the best of the best at the WEG

 

MEMORIAL DAY, 2011

 DISASTER

(paraphrased from a story I read in EQUESTRIAN magazine – Jan 2012)

Boyd and his herd had just moved to the US to continue his career.   On the evening of Memorial Day, he was fast asleep.

Then the phone rang.  His barn was on fire.

When Boyd reached the barn he tells of watching the humans watch one of their beloved horses burning in the aisle.  There was nothing the firemen or any of the helpless humans could do but stand there – memory Boyd will never forget and one that still haunts him to this day.

The emotion Boyd felt in that instant pushed  him to enter the burning barn.  He said it was totally black with smoke.  Boyd cannot remember any of the details of what was going on around him, only his search to find his horses.

Here is what he said:

“I went into one stable and I could hear the gurgling noise in the corner and I put my hands out and I felt a horse’s shoulder.  I ran my hands up the horse’s neck and I felt a windsucking collar and right then and there I knew where I was and what stable I was in.”

Neville was a cribber.  Boyd was in with Neville.

 

THE RESCUE

Neville had been trapped in the fire for 45 minutes and didn’t have enough air to move himself.

(another excerpt)

“I couldn’t move him.  but then, like a ghost out of nowhere pops up Phillip (Dutton)- it seemed like he just appeared out of nowhere.  He said ‘pull his had that way’ and he put his arms round him, sort of like someone loading a horse into a starting stall at the start of a race.  I started pulling Nev down the breezeway and Phillip got his shoulder in behind him and pushed him.  We dot him out of there and I handed him off and I thought if I can get one, I dan get another one.  So I went back in and I held my breath as deep as I could.  I got to another stable door but that stable ws empty.  I was starting to spin.  I started feeling like I was going ot lose consciousness – the smoke was that thick – so I dived out and laid on the ground gasping for air and I remember seeing Phil there doing the same thing.”

Can you even imagine?  Tragic.

 

 

NEVILLE RISES!

It is a bit unbelievable really.  This horse had suffered severe smoke inhalation.  His lungs and throat were charred.  The vets at Bolton Center said he shouldn’t be standing upright with the amount of oxygen circulating in his system yet Neville was standing there – eating.  In fact, the vets re-did all their tests because they were sure they must have received incorrect results.

Nope.  Neville was very, very sick.  He just didn’t know it.

In fact, immediately thereafter Neville started (continued) cribbing on anything he could find, even though it had to have hurt so badly!  Neville’s throat had burns all the way down his esophagus and windpipe.  When the scope accidentally brushed against the side of his trachea, it bled.

But, he continue to eat and suck.  Atta boy!

 

WHY NOT?

Five horses had been saved, six were lost in that fire.  Everyone felt incredible losses.  Owners, trainers, handlers and the horses who had survived would be scarred for life.

Except Neville.

With everyone feeling horribly, Neville was the crusading cheerleader.  He ate, he drank, he cribbed and he yearned to get outside his stall and MOVE!

So, the vets decided to go with it.  Why not send Neville to a hyperbaric chamber (high levels of oxygen – you can read about HBOT here from a previous blog) to speed up his healing and see what would happen?  So they did.  Every day.  And to everyone’s surprise, Neville started healing – rapidly.

What happened next was pretty amazing…

 

A MONTH LATER… (another excerpt from Boyd’s interview)

“Something just told me that Imight as well start riding this horse, so I get on him and his ears are pricked and he’s happy.  He was still doing the hyperbaric chamber every day.  I got this feeling that the old horse was OK – part of being a good horseman is reading your horse’s spirit.  His spirit ws there ad he had spring in his stride.  I was lucky the biggest guider in this whole thing was Dr. Keane, who’s a very practical vet.  I didn’t really have a splan, but he kept on passing all th tests.  We just took it one day at a time.  Before I knew it we did a five-minute trot – he kept on feeling goodand positive and happy.”

And then Boyd got the idea that this horse could compete in the 2011 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, just a few weeks away on Labor Day.

 

SOME BACK STORY… AND THE TRAINING

Neville was in the barn at the time of the fire because he was on stall rest.  He had injured his shoulder two months prior.  Then Neville endured the fire and recovery.  So, in essence, this horse had been out of commission for 4 months.

Now, they had 8 weeks to get him in tip-top shape.

Neville was game.  He thrived.  It was awesome.

So they flew to England for the race.

Neville, the hurt and burnt, recently rehabilitated horse came in a roaring 7th!  A HUGE victory and the crown erupted.

So they continued…

 

WORLD WIDE RECOGNITION

And then it happened on January 12th of this year…

 

 

WHAT’S NEXT?

The horse who was once destined for slaughter and then survivied a barn fire is now hoping to find a seat on the 2012 US Olympic Equestrian Team.

(As an aside from a lay person… is it possible that his wind sucking cribbing habit strengthened his respiratory system to where he was stronger to withstand smoke inhalation and recover more rapidly?)

Hmmmm.

Anyway, winning a spot on the Olympic Team sounds like a walk in the park after all he’s been through, eh?

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!

 

Copyright

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

(Originally posted 12/19/2110)

I guess I’m on a Military Horse bender…  First it was Comanche which led me to Black Jack who led me to the Old Guard and Caisson horses.

CAISSON HORSES

A Caisson horse is one of the 6 horses that is hooked to the caisson which is the cart that holds the casket of a fallen and ranked soldier.  You’ve probably seen the image of a Caisson.

THE OLD GUARD

This is something I didn’t know…  the Old Guard is responsible for the Military Caisson horses.

Actually, I never really knew anything about the Old Guard.  Do you?  Well, if you are as ignorant as I was about the Old Guard, I’ll fill you in…

“The Old Guard” is a term used for The 3rd U.S. Infantry, which is the Army’s oldest active infantry regiment, predates the Constitution, tracing its origin to 1784. The unit was designated the official ceremonial troop of the Army shortly after World War II, by President Truman, and is stationed at Fort Myers, Virginia.  Here is a brief history of the Old Guard:

“Created in 1784 as the First American Regiment, The Old Guard was established after the Paris Peace Treaty of 1783, which stipulated that the United States would maintain a military force to protect land west of the Appalachian Mountains.

After the First American Regiment participated in the War of 1812, COL John Miller took command. Because he was ranked third most-senior officer in the Army, the unit designation became the 3rd U.S. Inf., in keeping with Miller’s status, said Kirk M. Heflin, the director of the 3rd U.S. Inf. (The Old Guard) Museum.

The 3rd Inf. played a vital role in the Mexican War in 1846, Heflin said. After taking Mexico City, the unit had the honor of marching at the head of its brigade as the American troops entered the Mexican capital.

“It was there that the Army commander, MG Zachary Taylor, turned to his staff as the 3rd Inf. passed and said, ‘Gentlemen, take off your hats to The Old Guard of the Army,’” said Heflin.
Today The Old Guard, which has proven its worth in battle, has a two-fold mission — to protect America’s capital and to pay final tribute to America’s heroes.”

I wouldn’t say they get to do “fun” jobs for the Army, but they do perform the unusual tasks like Color Guard, Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (very impressive…check out this link) and the maintenance and performance of the Caisson Horses.

What is interesting about the Old Guard maintaining the Caisson horses is that most of them come into this not as horsemen but as infantry.  They have to learn.  Besides horsemanship, these men train constantly.  They must learn how to ride, how to ride in the correct posture, how to sit in the saddle properly and how to ride in the procession.  Drilling and training is non-stop, both for the horses and the men.

I think this must be good, to train all the time.  First off, this helps both horse and rider (or handler) become familiar with each other, but also trains the men quickly.  Since the men rotate out every 18 months, unions have to be created rapidly.  So, constant training helps here.  Also, both new men and new horses can’t possibly know how to do this task (Caisson procession) since it is unique to the Old Guard.  Everyone has to learn… and practice, practice, practice.

BACK TO THE CAISSON HORSES

The horse has always been important in the military.  First he pulled the carriages of important government officials, then he carried the mail and of course, he became the distinguished and brave Warhorse.  But, then the automobile came into play and the military horse became more of a symbol during ceremonial functions.  These symbolic military horses who walk in uniform during parades or draw a caisson (cart carrying a casket of a fallen soldier) are called Caisson Horses.

These horses are cared for by the Old Guard.

I stumbled upon some photos taken by LIFE MAGAZINE while they visited the Old Guard stables.  Fancy.  It was clear that these military men take as much pride in the stables as they do the coin bouncing on their tightly sheeted bunk.

The horses are groomed, bathed and bedded each day.  The tack is cleaned and shined.  They even ‘tumble’ their brass fittings.  I found this remarkable.  Inside the stable tack area, they have a huge barrel that is mounted sideways with a crank.  They put solution in there and tumble the brass so it comes out polished and shiny like those rocks at gem shows!

I’ve added some candid shots of the guys with the horses.  To me, these photos speak to the pomp, warmth and grandeur of these well manicured and well maintained equines.  And, it also shows that these men have genuine affection for their charges.  Nice to know since they troops are rotated out every year and a half.  Kinda sad… but at least never boring.

CAISSON

What is a caisson or how did the name come into play?  Here is an explanation:

“The caissons were built in 1918, and used for 75mm cannons. They were originally equipped with ammunition chests, spare wheels, and tools used for the cannons. Today these have been removed and replaced with the flat deck on which the casket rests.”

THE RULES

The rules of the caisson procession through Arlington National Cemetery are strict.  Silence.  The only sounds heard are the hooves of the seven caisson horses.  Soldiers sit on only the three left-sided caisson horses because tradition had the right-sided horses carrying supplies.  They are paired into three teams – the lead team is in front, the swing team follows, and nearest the caisson is the wheel team.  There is an additional seventh caisson horse who not harnessed.  He is ridden alongside the front left carriage horse to guide him.  All the soldiers stand ramrod straight and stiff.  The horses are to walk very slowly, which can be difficult.

COLOR OF CAISSON HORSES

Black or white (grey).  That’s it.  If you are born a bay, you better choose another profession.  Although, when I look at the above photo of President Regan’s funeral, they look like brown or bay horses.  Dunno.  Could be the lighting.

Actually, in the beginning, the caisson horse had to be black – same with the caparisoned horse (riderless horse).  But, on June 9, 1981, ten Lipizzan horses were donated to the Caisson Platoon. The horses were accepted on behalf of the Army by the Secretary of the Army John O. Marsh, Jr., during a ceremony at Summerall Field, Fort Myer, Virginia. The Lipizzans are used to make up the “White Horse Team” for use in military funerals in Arlington National Cemetery.

Famed for their grace, intelligence and great strength, they were a lead element in the inaugural parade for President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George Bush.

WHERE DO THEY GO WHEN THEY RETIRE?

Ummm.  Well, that is up to us, really.  You see, the retired Caisson Horses are adopted out.  In fact, there are several who need adopting right now!  Here is a link to the website.

What I like about this adoption procedure is that EVERY HORSE HAS A VET MEMO attached to their photo page.  That means you can read what the military vet has to say about each horse.  I read through them and they were very candid.  Refreshing.  And, since there is protocol, ALL the horses have well maintained records and are cared for routinely.  Every horse is on a shot, worming and farrier rotation.  Also good to know.

Here is what the website says:

“The Caisson Horses of the Old Guard participate in all Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps Full Honor’s Funerals performed in Arlington National Cemetery. These magnificent animals serve with the men of the Caisson Platoon daily to ensure final honors are given in a dignified, professional, and respectful manner; and they love their job. Each Caisson horse offered for adoption has served on average for over a decade. During the course of their service they participate in thousands of funerals for our nations heroes. Because of the long and distinguished service of each and every horse in our stables, the Old Guard has introduced the Caisson Horse Adoption Program to ensure each horse is rewarded with a great home following its well earned retirement.”

THE CAISSON HORSES READY FOR ADOPTION RIGHT NOW

These horses are housed in Virginia, obviously.  But, I’m sure they know how to travel…  ;)   And, I kinda think it goes without saying that they must handle fairly well and have had extensive training…  I have no idea about their riding ability but you can ask the Old Guard… Here is their contact info:

Platoon Leader	Platoon Sergeant	Operations Sergeant
CW4 Anthony DiRenzo Phone: 703-696-3568 Send an E-mail	SFC James Dean Phone: Send an E-mail	SSG Travis Nielsen Phone: Send an E-mail

I’ve listed the horses presently on the Adoption page and added their photos.  For more information, go to the website.
Bo, 10 Year old Percheron

Bullet, 10 Year old Percheron

George, 14 Year old Percheron Quarterhorse

Gordy, 11 Year old Percheron

Justin, 12 Year old Percheron

Cool, eh?

HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!