Goodnight, Commando

We are saddened to announce the passing of another of The Horse Trust’s legends, beloved sponsor resident and Household Cavalry veteran, Commando, at the age of 27 years.

Described as a ‘perfect cavalry black’, Commando was a strikingly handsome 17.3hh black gelding who spent 10 diligent years serving in the Blues and Royals Squadron of the Household Cavalry. During his career, Commando participated in many state occasions including the wedding of Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, the late Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee celebrations, as well as the usual ceremonial duties of the Household Cavalry, such as State Opening of Parliament, Trooping the Colour and standing on Horse Guards Parade in protection of the monarch.

Although he was an exemplary cavalry horse throughout his career, Commando began to suffer with arthritis in several joints which eventually led to his retirement. We were delighted to receive him here at The Horse Trust alongside some of his fellow comrades, including Union, Venture and Zulu, and we were keen to give them the gold standard of equine retirement provided here in the peaceful Chiltern hills.

Said to be amenable and of good temperament during his service, and a very popular horse at Knightsbridge barracks, those who worked with him were disappointed to see him retire. Despite his decade of service, Commando came to retirement quite young for a military horse and still had plenty of joie de vivre, as shown by his proclivity to kick at his stable door when he first started to come into a stable during visiting hours, which promptly got him relieved of this duty! Luckily for him, his ridiculously handsome good looks meant he got away with this roguish behaviour, and also saw him featured alongside famous war horse puppet Joey for our commemoration of the 100^th anniversary of The First World War.

He certainly mellowed in his exceptional 12 years here at The Horse Trust though and over time was known by our team as a true gentleman. He found a firm friend in Wellington, another Household Cavalry retiree who joined us a couple of years after Commando’s arrival. The two perhaps shared tales of their working days, having both had the honour of carrying the standard for the Blues and Royals within their military careers. They certainly were very close companions, with it being common during breakfast time that Wellington would affectionately lick Commando after finishing his feed. Sadly, we lost Wellington a few months ago but hopefully they have now been reunited in the unending pastures in the sky.

The Horse Trust won’t be the same after the loss of beautiful Commando, but our work to give these equine heroes the best retirement throughout their twilight years is crucial to us and preserving their dignity comes before anything else. Commando’s arthritis was deteriorating with each year and he also suffered from equine asthma; conditions which our stellar veterinary team was monitoring closely. Unfortunately, he was found very poorly by our grooms on morning checks and despite speedy treatment, he continued to deteriorate and therefore it was decided to be in his best interest to say a final farewell.

Gentle, trustworthy and protective, Commando was truly a special soul, which was why he was selected to be a treasured sponsor resident and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all his kind and generous sponsors who have enabled us to give him the best care throughout his retirement, which allowed him to reach the grand old age of 27 in comfort. Commando’s longstanding retirement is both a testament to our first-class care but also highlights the fact that we can never guess how long each horse will be with us, and supporting their ongoing care across the years can only be done with the generous support of our kind donors. Rest in peace gorgeous Commando, you will always be missed. HTx