0:03 It's the US military's most sacred mission.
0:08 Mounted Army soldiers transport the remains of fallen service members to their final resting
0:14 place in Arlington National Cemetery.
0:19 Today, only 27 soldiers are qualified for the role.
0:25 Many start off with no riding experience.
0:30 To get here, they have to endure more than 4 months of training.
0:35 >> If you keep riding 2 m over left,
0:37 you end up in the wrong funeral.
0:39 >> And it all comes down to one final test.
0:44 Instructors grade the riders' form and posture.
0:49 And one wrong move could mean failure.
0:55 >> >> We went inside their training to find out what it takes to
0:59 be a horse soldier in the US Army Caisson Detachment.
1:15 Soldiers who pass the first 12 weeks of basic horsemanship training move on to
1:20 the final phase.
1:23 Six weeks of advanced instruction in Ocala, Florida,
1:27 known as the horse capital of the world.
1:31 Army soldiers train at Live Oak Stud,
1:34 a 4,500 acre farm owned by the family of Chester Weber,
1:39 an heir to the Campbell Soup fortune.
1:42 >> So, my great-grandfather started the Campbell Soup Company.
1:45 I'm not a maker of soup other than as a hobby.
1:48 >> Weber is an accomplished equestrian athlete,
1:51 having won 23 national championships in the sport of four-in-hand carriage driving.
1:57 >> Three reds in his mouth.
1:58 This horse >> In 2024,
2:02 the Army hired Weber to assemble a world-class team to train the soldiers.
2:08 Like their riding instructor, Inga Kahn.
2:12 >> Find your spot.
2:13 I want straight lines.
2:15 I need space between my horses.
2:17 I'm not happy.
2:18 If you turn too late, you will bounce into each other.
2:21 Too early won't hurt you.
2:23 Too late will hurt you.
2:25 Nice soft trot.
2:26 >> I just I just misunderstood what you were saying.
2:29 >> Good.
2:29 That's because I'm German.
2:31 I grew up as a daughter of a horse trainer,
2:33 so I was riding before I was born.
2:36 I I was always into horses my whole life.
2:39 Center line, boys.
2:40 Manse, are you with me?
2:42 >> Ma'am.
2:42 >> Good.
2:42 >> Caisson Detachment candidates are selected based on their discipline, composure, and physical fitness.
2:49 Most of the soldiers arrive with little or no experience with horses.
2:54 >> Your work horse is the fourth.
2:55 >> Yeah, first off.
2:57 >> What's that like?
2:58 >> It's was scary at first, but now I get used to it.
3:01 It's all the training, so.
3:02 >> Turn.
3:03 Turn.
3:03 No.
3:05 Don't wait.
3:06 When we do it perfect, and I want it perfect,
3:08 then the center line is going to be between Roberts and Sims.
3:12 >> She's very strict,
3:13 and that's one thing I like about her cuz I don't want some trainer
3:16 that's like not going to tell me what I need to work on,
3:18 and she gets >> >> She's on my tail 24/7.
3:20 >> Specialist Jamie Sims is the only woman in the squad.
3:26 >> What's that like?
3:27 >> Um I I think it's kind of normal.
3:30 I was At my old company, so I was the only female, too.
3:32 So, I kind of got used to it.
3:35 It kind of helped having like the trainers that are females.
3:37 >> Where are you, Sims?
3:38 You are like 2 m over to the left.
3:41 If you keep riding 2 m over left,
3:44 you end up in the wrong funeral.
3:46 Division, volte.
3:52 March.
3:52 We are starting with putting the boys into the correct posture
3:56 and in the correct position
3:57 and helping them finding balance in case
4:00 if something happens this horse spook to the side
4:03 or gets a little faster
4:04 or slower that they don't get out of balance.
4:06 And when we achieve this, we start to ride in sections.
4:09 So, we ride behind each other.
4:10 When they can do this,
4:11 we put them pair-wise together and let them ride in formation.
4:14 Wait.
4:15 Everybody needs to work together.
4:18 Since this was the mistake you did from the beginning on,
4:21 we deleted this mistake totally.
4:23 You never did it again.
4:25 Now you're doing it again.
4:26 I don't want it.
4:27 I give you 4 and 1/2 from 10 points.
4:30 That could be better.
4:31 >> A person like that, they really do care about you.
4:33 They want you to succeed and, you know, look great on a horse.
4:37 So, I don't blame her for being, you know, hard on us.
4:40 If a person really cares,
4:41 they're going to be hard. >> 23-year-old Sergeant Nick Cardinas joined the Army in
4:46 2022 as a motor transport operator.
4:50 >> Before joining caisson, I had zero horse experience.
4:52 I I knew nothing.
4:53 So, I just started asking questions,
4:55 started seeing guys what they were doing on a daily basis.
4:58 And over time, it just I started flowing like water.
5:01 >> You need to react quick.
5:02 Quick.
5:03 >> >> Quick.
5:03 When the mistakes happen, you pick it up.
5:05 When they come in, uh you go, "Okay, good.
5:08 This going to be hard
5:08 and maybe we're not going to make it
5:10 and >> >> but I learned now say,
5:12 "Chill.
5:14 It's going to be fine.
5:15 I'm very confident they get all through and we'll be fine."
5:19 Way better.
5:20 We work the horse.
5:22 Say they're all good.
5:22 They're all good.
5:23 Good horse.
5:24 >> Learning to ride one horse is challenging enough.
5:28 But the soldiers also train on a six-horse hitch,
5:32 the formation that pulls the wagon carrying the casket known as the caisson.
5:41 >> Caisson, halt.
5:41 >> When you're going left, get over to the right.
5:43 When you're going right, get over to the left.
5:45 Okay?
5:46 Always check your own I know it seems like that's not a problem through
5:50 there,
5:50 but it it it looks bad.
5:51 Always Always check your equipment.
5:53 >> To train soldiers on the caisson, Chester Weber hired David Saunders,
5:58 who worked as a coachman for the British royal family.
6:02 >> I was Duke of Edinburgh's coachman.
6:03 I worked for the Queen
6:04 and I was served at Her Majesty's pleasure for 20 years.
6:07 I told you yesterday the horses have got to cuddle up against each other.
6:11 The horses are green and the drivers are green, the riders.
6:13 They've just learned to ride, so it's all a magical mystery tour.
6:18 The lead, if you don't give him enough room, you're screwed.
6:20 Okay, gentlemen, at your leisure, follow me.
6:25 They have to be spatially aware cuz it's all about starting, stopping, and steering.
6:30 Three golden rules of doing postilion.
6:34 >> In the postilion riding style,
6:36 each soldier rides one horse while guiding a second with their right hand.
6:41 >> Good job.
6:42 >> Riders train on both a smaller wagon and the longer caisson,
6:46 which requires much wider turns.
6:48 >> Good job.
6:49 Look before you turn.
6:50 Look before you turn.
6:51 Take control, wheel man.
6:52 Take control.
6:53 >> There are three roles on the six-horse hitch that pulls the caisson.
6:58 The rider in the front is the lead.
7:00 The rider in the middle is the swing.
7:02 And the rider in the back is the wheel.
7:06 The team works together to start, stop, and turn, training on an obstacle course.
7:12 >> All together, girls.
7:13 So, all together.
7:15 >> The course includes tighter turns than the horses would ever see at Arlington,
7:19 plus ground obstacles like pool noodles and hula hoops placed throughout.
7:26 >> This is nothing to simulate how they're going to do in a funeral,
7:30 but if they can do all this,
7:32 then the funerals will be a piece of cake.
7:35 >> It's kind of nerve-wracking because now it's higher stakes.
7:38 Like, it's training right now, but then you have to also think, "Okay,
7:42 this is real life missions.
7:44 Like, we can't mess anything up."
7:48 >> For decades, the horses pulled a heavy artillery style wagon
7:52 that weighed nearly 3,000 lb.
7:55 In 2025, the Army introduced a redesigned caisson
8:00 that weighs less than half
8:01 as much as the previous model
8:03 and has a price tag of $256,000.
8:09 Today, more than 400,000 people are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
8:15 The caisson detachment supports up to 10 funerals each week for select service members.
8:20 For 75 years, the unit was synonymous with one of the military's most sacred
8:25 traditions,
8:26 but in 2023, the Army shut the program down.
8:30 >> The Army says it is suspending the use of its military horses following
8:34 reports the horses are living in unhealthy conditions.
8:39 >> The deaths of multiple Army horses exposed unsanitary conditions
8:44 and a lack of open space for grazing.
8:47 During the suspension, more than 2,000 Arlington funerals took place without horses.
8:56 The program returned in 2025 thanks to the Army's investment of over $30 million
9:02 to build new facilities
9:04 and revamp training.
9:06 That's why the Army called Chester Weber.
9:08 >> You get there?
9:09 He said, "Okay, so when are you moving to Haymarket,
9:11 Virginia to help us with this program?"
9:13 I said, "Hold on a second, guys.
9:14 And there's no moving to Haymarket, Virginia, but I'll make you a deal.
9:17 If you guys come down to Ocala, Florida,
9:19 I'd be more than happy to help put together a team of fantastic people
9:23 to bring excellence and perspective back to the program."
9:26 >> The Army also put a horse veterinarian in command of the unit.
9:30 >> As we look at this
9:31 and really kind of put the animal first
9:33 and really put the animal welfare piece of it um front
9:35 and center,
9:35 it puts a a different outlook on it than just solely completing the missions.
9:38 Really completing the mission
9:39 and actually more of the way we do it
9:41 and you know,
9:41 putting the horses first.
9:46 The soldiers are the primary people that actually tell us like, "Hey, something's wrong."
9:49 We're seeing them all the time.
9:50 They can pick up on those little the little telltale signs where rather than
9:53 treating an illness,
9:54 we're trying to prevent it before it happens.
9:57 >> >> The soldiers are responsible for taking care of the horses.
10:00 >> You worked hard today.
10:01 You got all sweaty.
10:03 >> Feeding them, cleaning their hooves, and bathing them.
10:11 >> >> Taking care of horses is a lot of work.
10:12 >> It depends on what you define as a lot of work.
10:14 Some of it could be a little bit tedious,
10:16 but once you get in a rhythm,
10:18 once you just take things step by step, it's not it's not too bad.
10:21 >> Would you call horses high maintenance?
10:25 >> Yes.
10:25 >> Yes.
10:25 >> Absolutely.
10:25 They're absolutely high maintenance.
10:26 >> All of them have their own like little personalities
10:28 and you can see
10:29 that in their ears,
10:30 their eyes, their facial expressions, everything.
10:36 >> >> Most of the horses used by the Caisson Detachment are Percherons,
10:41 a breed known for its strength, endurance, and calm temperament.
10:48 But they're prey animals, instinctively wired to flee from danger.
10:52 Just one spooked horse can disrupt a military funeral.
10:56 So, they're trained to remain steady in an unpredictable environment.
11:05 >> >> Former law enforcement officer Casey Farrell's specialty is desensitization.
11:10 >> So, my role here is to teach the horse
11:12 that if something scary comes in real life
11:14 when they are doing their duty back in Virginia,
11:17 is to stay calm
11:18 and relaxed and then also teach the soldiers how to handle
11:21 that.
11:22 >> During training, an air cannon goes off without warning.
11:27 Exposing the horses to the kinds of sudden noises they may encounter during a
11:32 military funeral.
11:34 >> Yeah, just relax.
11:35 Who cares about a cannon?
11:37 If you don't care, the horses don't care.
11:39 >> So, it's an air cannon.
11:40 It nothing comes out of it.
11:42 It's just gas.
11:42 Most people tend to when they hear a big scary noise, they tense up.
11:47 And when we're relaxed as riders, then the horses relax as well.
11:51 >> There's a bang.
11:51 We don't want the horses to run away.
11:53 So, they've got to be expect a bang all the time.
11:55 So, it's for both of them.
11:56 So, they don't their pants.
11:57 But, don't put that on the film.
11:59 >> That's hard to turn.
12:01 >> Good job.
12:05 >> >> A speaker placed by the obstacle course plays loud music
12:09 and simulated sounds of vehicles
12:11 and other loud noises.
12:19 >> >> They're going to hear a lot of drums.
12:20 They're going to hear a lot of sirens, gunshots, birds.
12:23 So, it just simulates anything that they're going to hear.
12:27 So, I can just call it the noise maker.
12:29 It's just a metal paint can.
12:32 It's got rocks.
12:32 It's got screws.
12:33 It's got pennies.
12:35 It's got all of that.
12:36 We were trying to figure out what can simulate the noise of a casket
12:40 going on and off.
12:42 Any of that so those horses get used to it.
12:46 >> Back in the barn,
12:47 the soldiers wave flags in front of horses in the stalls to desensitize them
12:52 to sudden movement and noise.
12:54 >> Happy birthday to you.
12:57 >> As training comes to an end in Florida, Sergeant Cardenas celebrates his 24th birthday.
13:05 >> Happy birthday to you.
13:09 >> The party in Florida may be coming to an end,
13:12 but this squad's biggest challenge lies ahead.
13:17 Six weeks later, they're back in Virginia training for their final test known
13:23 as validation.
13:24 It's where we ran into a soldier just his time with the Caisson Detachment
13:29 who turned out to be a familiar face.
13:33 Specialist Derrick Beasley, a sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,
13:38 we met while filming an episode of Boot Camp in 2025.
13:42 After reaching the pinnacle of one elite Army role,
13:46 he's starting at the bottom of another.
13:48 >> I finished my required time at the tomb
13:50 and I wanted to stay in this area
13:52 and continue working in the cemetery
13:53 and and honoring the dead like I did at the tomb,
13:56 perfect mission here.
14:01 >> Inside Arlington, soldiers conduct training rides through the cemetery to familiarize the horses
14:07 and themselves with the environment.
14:13 Soldiers known as section workers follow closely to clean up after the horses.
14:22 >> Everything has a part to play, you know, there's always a bigger picture.
14:25 So, you know, some people have an attitude towards it like, "Oh,
14:27 why did I enlist for this?"
14:28 You're like, "Hey, you're doing this because there's a purpose behind this."
14:32 >> The horses are connected to the wagon using a complex system of harnesses, straps,
14:38 and reins known as tack.
14:40 The total cost for all of the tack used for the six-horse hitch is
14:44 about $160,000.
14:51 Before they ride in funeral missions, all soldiers have to pass the validation test.
14:57 Today, Specialist Sims and Sergeant Cardenas are getting their chances.
15:04 Held in a parking lot, the test simulates the Caisson's role in a funeral.
15:08 >> Ready.
15:09 Step.
15:10 >> Riders are graded on their form, posture,
15:13 and their ability to control the horses if distractions arise.
15:18 >> They're feeling the pressure right now.
15:20 They're nervous because it's the one thing that you're here at Caisson to do,
15:24 but they they have all the training they need and they're fully capable.
15:27 >> Ready?
15:27 Go.
15:38 >> Things were going smoothly until the horses came to a stop.
15:52 The instructors grade the riders on how they handled the situation.
16:04 The test is over.
16:06 >> Do you think you passed?
16:08 >> >> No, I don't think I passed.
16:09 >> I feel like it went okay.
16:12 Besides the end, the end was a a little rough.
16:14 So, let's see what happens.
16:16 >> So, if they pass this validation,
16:17 they're going to go into the cemetery and conduct military funerals with escort.
16:21 If they don't pass, it's back to the drawing board for a couple weeks.
16:23 They'll get back into the training process and they'll they'll try again.
16:35 >> So, for the first iteration on lead with Cardenas, uh you did pass.
16:41 Whenever the horse is back, you corrected them.
16:43 You weren't egregious with it, so good job on your your part.
16:48 Sims, uh so, you did not pass.
16:50 Um reason being is because you had dropped the off reins at one point.
16:54 Landino went to go call a Caisson forward ho, and before he could,
16:58 you had to gather your off reins.
17:00 And then at one point, your foot did come out of the stirrup.
17:03 Just make sure that you're keeping your feet in the stirrup.
17:06 If something were to go wrong,
17:07 you at least you're maintaining one foot in the stirrup.
17:10 >> All right.
17:11 Good job today, guys.
17:19 >> >> They said everything was good.
17:20 It was just like one safety hazard
17:22 that I had my reins
17:25 and I didn't have control of my horse at one point.
17:27 I didn't think it was a safety hazard, but honestly,
17:31 they've done this way longer than I have.
17:33 I'm like I'm new to it.
17:36 I have high standards to myself.
17:38 I'm really strong-headed and like I talked to my sergeant
17:41 and I was like,
17:42 "So, when's the next validation?"
17:43 cuz I was like, "I'm ready for it."
17:45 Like I know what I need to do and not do.
17:47 I just have to wait see what happens.
17:51 >> According to the Caisson Detachment,
17:52 Specialist Sims is still waiting to attempt her second validation test.
17:59 >> >> Feel amazing.
18:00 I can't wait to start.
18:01 It has been a long road.
18:02 I didn't I didn't think I was going to make it this far,
18:04 you know, through all the training and the prep.
18:06 It definitely paid off today.
18:16 >> >> Today, Sergeant Cardenas rides in the lead position on an actual funeral
18:21 mission in Arlington National Cemetery.
18:27 >> It's a very indescribable experience because months and months of training,
18:31 just the amount of weight on your shoulders just lets off,
18:35 but the experience like doing the missions, it's humbling.
18:38 It's It's a great experience.
18:40 >> This funeral honored Air Force Lieutenant Henry J.
18:43 Carlin, who was killed in a plane crash during World War II.
18:49 >> >> After being declared missing in action for nearly 80 years,
18:52 scientists used DNA analysis to identify his remains.
19:09 >> >> Emotions were all over the place.
19:11 It didn't feel real,
19:12 but at the same time you're just you're doing your job.
19:18 >> >> We only get one entrance in the cemetery, one experience,
19:22 so I wish I could relive it again.
19:26 >> Filming for this story began on March 2nd, 2026.
19:32 The third day of the war with Iran.
19:36 And one day after the first American troops were killed in an Iranian drone
19:41 strike in Kuwait.
19:43 Those killed in action qualify for burial at Arlington with full caisson honors.
19:49 >> When you look at things that are happening overseas,
19:51 it helps you to really put in perspective what we're actually doing.
19:54 We're taking them to their final resting place.
19:56 That's why it's important that we do it correctly.
20:02 >> Caissons.
20:02 Halt.
20:02 >> The weight of this job is very significant to me.
20:04 Uh means a lot.
20:05 So, to be able to do this is something
20:08 that I really like sits heavy with me.
20:10 And just makes me give
20:11 that extra push to do this job to the best of my ability.
