These two caisson horses from Arlington now keep rolling along in retirement on NC farm
In his time, Klinger would rise at 4:30 a.m., get showered and brushed, spruce up in brass and leather tack then trot out for a 14-hour day — pulling soldiers through gardens of stone.
In 20 years of service to the U.S. Army, the horse served more than 8,600 missions for the caisson platoon at Arlington National Cemetery, leading the solemn trail to a full-honors burial, often four times a day.
In 2004, he helped escort President Ronald Reagan’s flag-draped casket to the U.S. Capitol, and last year, he led U.S. Sen. Robert “Bob” Dole to his Arlington rest.
And now, at 23, Klinger goes to his own reward — a retirement barn in Franklin County, where he and fellow caisson horse Dozer can enjoy oats, horse muffins and old war stories.
“He deserves to get a life of leisure, and never have anything asked of him,” said Olivia Turner, part of the family that adopted the two caisson horses. “These horses have taken part in something pretty special.”
The Horse Stars Hall of Fame
Three weeks ago, the Turner family officially adopted Klinger and Dozer from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment Caisson Platoon, the solemn horses that carry the likes of Gen. Colin Powell to full-military honor funerals.
Even in retirement, Klinger stands 17 hands high and weighs nearly 1,700 pounds, an imposing horse standing taller than a 7-foot man but gentle enough to eat muffins from an outstretched hand. His old platoon mate Dozer is far smaller at 22, and he spent his Army career mostly as a training horse at Ft. Belvoir.
Klinger, though, is famous enough to be the subject of a children’s book, written by Wilmington author Betsy Beard, who lost her own son Spc. Bradley Beard in 2004 after an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle in Iraq.
Klinger, a member of the Horse Stars Hall of Fame, pulled his caisson. Queen Elizabeth II had a copy of the book — a gift from the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“We didn’t know we were going to get a famous one,” said Turner. “He’s had a little hard time adjusting to the goats and pigs. Pigs are loud.”
Turner, who is an assistant district attorney in Franklin County, has shown quarter-horses since she was young, as has her sister Chelsea. And the farm where her family lives, named Barrister’s Barnyard for the profession she shares with father and fellow attorney Lee Turner, already boasts eight sheep, two alpacas, 12 pigs, assorted goats and seven cows — including a longhorn.
“We need to count,” joked Turner’s mother, Celeste.
Problems with the caisson platoon
But adding a pair of caisson horses, once the adoption opportunity came up last year, added another layer to their rescue animal haven.
The caisson platoon at Arlington has been racked with health problems, so much so that the Army suspended its ceremonial horse unit for 45 days earlier this year, CBS reported.
A U.S. Army report showed the horses living in unsanitary and potentially hazardous conditions. And after two of them died unexpectedly in February, the report showed cramped living space and poor diet compounded by inadequate funding for their care, according to CNN.
The adoption program dates to 2015 and predates this recent spate of health problems, serving mainly as a way to keep caisson horses from being euthanized. Klinger takes medicine for Cushing’s disease, a sort of equine diabetes, and also for arthritis.
But otherwise the horses are in good health for their advanced age.
A Percheron-Morgan cross known for their gentle demeanor, Klinger has also served in the TAPS program, acting as a support animal for grieving military families — especially children with a lost parent. When the Turners drove to Virginia to collect the horses, Klinger made a beeline for Chelsea’s son Rhett, who is 4.
But in most pictures online, he keeps a steady gait and somber demeanor as he pulls the 3,000-pound caisson — except for one equine quirk.
“In most of the pictures,” Turner said, “he has his tongue sticking out. That’s his focus face.”
