Page 418 - The History of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1962–2021

THE HISTORY OF THE ROYAL ARMY VETERINARY CORPS 1962 – 2021
was to help/assist, not instruct, I found myself more confident with the course.
Some of the course content included basic handling, veterinary first aid lessons and practical sessions on how to tack up and load the horses correctly including horse husbandry.
On the First day, the Marines were a little shaky, which is understandable, they were nervous around the horses, however they immediately realised that the horses would pick up on this. As soon as we got into the field all three ponies had their heads down to the grass and there was nothing the Marines could do to stop them. However, as the week progressed and the students’ confidence grew, they were able to pick up on the signals before the ponies tried pushing their luck.
I was also asked to assist on the second course and I was more than happy to help out again feeling more confident to step in when I spotted faults and also allow the Marines the time to try and figure out what to do for themselves.
Both courses consisted of an exercise phase, including an overnight stay at Old Dalby, where the horses happily gorged themselves on the grass whilst attached to a picket line which required guarding throughout the night. A task that the Marines thought would be an easy task, however Ada proved herself able to walk under the
picket line and choose which side she wanted to be! Looking at the start of the course to the end, it was amazing to see how ten intensive days of training improved the students’ confidence. It was nice to see the Marines’ handling/husbandry of the horses improve as the course progressed. A few Marines even developed bonds with the horses and throughout the course they
all had their favourite.
We got some excellent feedback from both groups
about what they enjoyed and how it could be improved. Twelve Royal Marines received training from 2019. There is talk of Pack Ponies supporting exercises in the future, allowing the handlers to utilise the capability on the ground.
I thoroughly enjoyed my induction to the DATR as a Vet Tech and I would recommend the course to anyone who is interested and keen in working with horses.106 And finally...
The joys and challenges gained from working with military Pack animals has been appreciated by soldiers for hundreds of years. Despite attempts, over time, to erase the Pack capability on the grounds of redundancy in the face of technology, there remains an inherited faith and trust in the resilience of all beasts of burden and the men and women of the RAVC who train and care for them.
Pack Horse training being conducted alongside MWD, circa 2007.
106 Chiron Calling article by Pte Chloe Fields RAVC dated Winter 2020.
410