Exercise COPPER HORSE found that Military Working Horses may be able to support a limited range of field tasks under controlled training conditions, with further development needed on equipment, load carriage and operating endurance, according to an answer given in Parliament.
Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative member for Huntingdon, asked the Secretary of State for Defence what findings were made on the feasibility of the operational use of horses during Exercise Copper Horse.
Louise Sandher-Jones, the Minister for the Armed Forces, said: “Exercise COPPER HORSE found that Military Working Horses may be able to support a limited range of field tasks under controlled training conditions. It also identified areas requiring further development, including equipment, load carriage and operating endurance before any judgement can be made on potential operational use.”
Britain’s forces keep around five hundred horses, almost all of them in ceremonial roles with the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in London, the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery at Woolwich, and the Defence Animal Training Regiment at Melton Mowbray, which trains horses and military working dogs.
A horse can carry around a fifth of its body weight, and United States special forces operated on horseback in northern Afghanistan in 2001, and the French, Italian, Austrian and Swiss armies retain mules or horses for mountain logistics.
We reported recently that the British Army has been experimenting with the use of horses for reconnaissance, patrol and security tasks in terrain where military vehicles may struggle to operate, according to imagery released by the Ministry of Defence.
Soldiers and Military Working Horses from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment took part in a mounted combat capability experiment on the Barossa training area at Sandhurst, exploring how mounted troops could support battlefield activity beyond the Regiment’s familiar ceremonial duties.
The training was conducted across difficult terrain and focused on environments where conventional vehicles could face restrictions, giving soldiers an opportunity to examine how horses might provide an alternative means of moving personnel during reconnaissance and security operations.
‘Aeroplanes and tanks…are only accessories to the man and the horse, and I feel sure that as time goes on you will find just as much use for the horse—the well-bred horse—as you have ever done in the past.’
Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig 1925