The Army Is Keeping Its Horses and Mules, and That’s Good News for the Kind of Work Machines Still Can’t Do

Fort Hood, Texas; January 5th, 2026

This one didn’t come from a rumor mill or a think tank, and it didn’t drift out sideways through somebody else’s reporting. It came straight from the U.S. Army itself, plain as day, and it landed quieter than you’d expect for something that actually matters. According to the United States Army, the military is retaining its military working equid programs at Fort Hood and Fort Riley, keeping horses and mules in active service where they still make sense.

Now, that might sound old-fashioned to some folks, but to anyone who’s spent time around rough ground, steep terrain, or places where engines don’t belong, this makes perfect sense. Animals don’t need fuel convoys, they don’t break down the same way machines do, and they can move quietly through areas that eat up tires, tracks, and electronics for breakfast. The Army knows that, and this decision reflects it.

The programs at Fort Hood and Fort Riley have focused on training soldiers to work with horses and mules for transport, patrol, and logistical support in environments where modern vehicles either struggle or simply aren’t practical. Mountains, narrow trails, soft ground, dense vegetation, and places where discretion matters more than horsepower are where these animals still shine. The Army’s own reporting makes it clear this isn’t nostalgia, it’s capability.

What stands out about this announcement is that it isn’t framed as a temporary holdover or a legacy program waiting to be phased out. The Army described these equid units as retaining operational relevance, especially for missions involving disaster response, austere environments, and partner force training where flexibility matters more than flash. In other words, this isn’t about clinging to the past, it’s about keeping tools that still work.

There’s also a human element here that doesn’t get talked about enough. Soldiers trained in these programs learn patience, responsibility, and situational awareness in a way no simulator can teach. Working with an animal forces you to slow down just enough to read terrain, weather, and behavior, and those skills carry over into every other kind of soldiering. You can’t rush a mule up a bad trail, and you can’t fake confidence around a horse that doesn’t trust you.

For the Army, retaining these programs also preserves institutional knowledge that’s hard to rebuild once it’s gone. Training handlers, maintaining veterinary support, and keeping experienced personnel in place means the capability is there when it’s needed, not scrambled together after the fact. That kind of foresight doesn’t always get headlines, but it’s the sort of decision that pays off quietly down the road.

There’s something fitting about this, too, if you think about it long enough. The most technologically advanced military in the world choosing to keep horses and mules says something important about how war, logistics, and human environments actually work. Not every problem gets solved by adding more circuitry. Sometimes the answer is four legs, a steady gait, and the ability to go where everything else gives up.

For communities around Fort Hood and Fort Riley, this also means continuity. These programs support skilled jobs, specialized training, and a living connection between modern service members and the long history of military operations that relied on animals to move men and equipment through hard country. It’s a reminder that progress doesn’t always mean replacement, sometimes it means refinement.

In a military that’s constantly adapting to new threats and technologies, this decision stands out as refreshingly grounded. Keep what works. Use it where it makes sense. Don’t throw away a capability just because it doesn’t look modern enough.

For soldiers, handlers, and the animals themselves, the message is simple and clear. You’re still needed. You’re still useful. And the Army isn’t done with you yet.

Sources

Primary First-Hand Sources

• UNITED STATES ARMY NEWS DESK; “Army to retain military working equid programs at Fort Hood, Fort Riley,” official U.S. Army release, January 2026