Six Army Caisson horses living out their retirement at Equine Advocates were recognized on Veterans Day.

The horse sanctuary farm in Valatie is home to a half-dozen former military working horses that were part of the U.S. Army: Tyler, Sgt. York, Luke, King, Randy and Amos are being celebrated.

Those horses are trained to lead, follow and pull the caisson – or wagon – carrying the caskets of fallen service members. 

Tyler was the first of the Army Caisson Horses to retire at Equine Advocates, and Sgt. York gained fame as the riderless horse at the funeral of President Ronald Reagan.

Veterans from the Columbia County Veterans Service Agency stopped to pay tribute to the horses.

“I have the utmost respect for all Veterans who served this country, both human and animal,” said Rachel Hamilton, a combat veteran who served in Iraq, who is the new director of the Columbia County Veterans Service Agency.

Equine Advocates has been home to Caisson horses since 2021.

“I think it is so important that the public becomes educated about the important jobs these remarkable horses performed in the military and how they helped to provide comfort and solace to grieving military families,” said Susan Wagner, president and founder of Equine Advocates, in a statement.