Page 341 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
The Equine Training Squadron (ETS) is nowadays responsible for the procurement of horses for use on public duties for both the Household Cavalry and the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery. Within ETS are two schools, the Army School of Equitation and the Army School of Farriery.
The Army School of Equitation is responsible for the training and development of all military riding instructors and horse trainers across the Army, and these instructors are responsible for training every horse and person you see riding on all State occasions. There are approximately forty-eight riding instructors in the British Army which serve the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, the Household Division and the Defence Animal Training Regiment.
The horses at the DATR are exercised every day for a minimum of an hour with a variety of disciplines tested: Dressage, show jumping and cross country being the key element of training; this ensures they maintain the standards required to deliver the courses to the mounted troops.
The Army School of Farriery has two primary functions; it is the centre of training for all military farriers and is responsible for the foot care of all equines stationed at the DATR. There are approximately twenty-seven farriers within the Army. These comprise; five instructors at the DATR, fourteen farriers at the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and eight farriers at the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery.
The forge at ETS is a purpose-built facility for the military farriery students and instructors. With seven forges and a spacious linear open layout it is regarded as one of the best training facilities in the UK. The training standards and facilities at ETS are recognised worldwide as being of the highest quality. This recognition is supported by the world-renowned British Horse Society and the Worshipful Company of Farriers, who endorse a number of training courses provided by two schools at ETS. The maximum number of Military Working Horses that can be held at the DATR is three hundred and ninety-six – that’s two hundred and forty-one at grass rest and one hundred and fifty-five within the stable complexes. The average holding is normally around one hundred and forty, and that includes Military Working Horses undergoing treatment.
The Veterinary Training Squadron (VTS) is the smallest part of the Defence Animal Training Regiment (DATR) and is staffed by two Military Veterinary Officers and eight Veterinary Technicians (the Army Veterinary Nurses). This small team provides around the clock veterinary services 365 days a year for the animals on the site, which can number up to two hundred and seventy dogs and between one hundred and thirty and three hundred horses. Some of these animals may be
under training to become Military Working Animals or they may be older animals used to train new handlers or riders. In the case of the horses, some of them may be on their holidays from busy Ceremonial Duties in London, enjoying some well-deserved rest and relaxation. In all cases VTS provides an important supporting role to the other Squadrons, providing medical care for injuries or illnesses sustained during work, or providing preventative medicine such as routine dental care and health checks. This enables our animals to be ready for duty at all times.
In addition, the VTS team provide emergency care for any serious injuries on the site and can provide a referral service for Military Working Dogs and Horses from elsewhere in the UK or from Operations overseas. VTS also helps the handlers and riders to look after the animals by providing training; everything from basic signs of health to emergency First Aid and Critical Care training.
The Canine Training Squadron (CTS) is the largest Squadron within the Defence Animal Training Regiment and employs fifty Army personnel and twenty RAF Police personnel, producing highly trained Military Working Dogs and handlers for organisations across Defence. The Military team are supported by a team of Civil Servants that help in both the instruction of handlers and the maintenance and care of MWDs.
2016 saw CTS train one hundred and seventy-four MWDs and four hundred plus handlers and students for a variety of roles stretching from operations in the UK to deployment overseas. The MWDs trained at CTS fall under either the PROTECT or DETECT classifi- cations. The PROTECT classification will be a breed and size selected to deter intrusion. Typically, these will be the German Shepherd dogs or Belgian Malinois. Its primary role is to detect personnel in an area and indicate their presence to the handler. If necessary and authorised to release, it will chase and apprehend, biting and holding the person until commanded to leave by the handler.
For an intruder this is an extremely unpleasant experience and one mistake they will not wish to repeat in a hurry. During training dogs love this part of their job although the same may not be said of being on the receiving end, despite wearing issued Personal Protective Equipment. Having a MWD latch on to part of your body with speed and purpose requires a high degree of skill and courage to assist in the dog’s development and avoid injury.
A DETECT MWD’s primary role is to detect a target scent. This requires a highly developed sense of smell, focused mind and a drive and willingness to work. CTS have supplied trained dogs for use in many diverse environments such as the jungles of Brunei and the deserts of Afghanistan. They are trained to detect
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