Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2026, to question 33723 on Armed Forces: Horses, what steps is he taking in order to further develop a) equipment, b) load carriage and c) operating endurance for the use of m
Answer
The Army is continuing to explore the potential utility of Military Working Horses beyond their existing roles. Further mounted training activity will build on the lessons identified during Exercise COPPER HORSE, including the development and assessment of equipment and saddle configuration, load distribution and carriage, and the endurance of horses and riders. This work remains exploratory and will help inform any future assessment of the potential operational utility of Military Working Horses.
Verdict: GREEN (80/100)
The reply directly addresses all three points in the question: equipment development for the animals, load distribution and carriage, and operating endurance. It sets out specific follow-on mounted training from Exercise COPPER HORSE to develop and assess equipment and saddle configuration, load carriage, and the endurance of horses and riders. The reply frames this as exploratory work still under way, so it describes planned activity rather than results, and a reader may still want outcomes or timescales.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the department is doing to further develop equipment for the use of the animals referred to in the question (the question text is truncated after 'm'). | Addressed | Direct | Statement 2 explicitly commits to further mounted training that will develop and assess equipment and saddle configuration, which directly answers what is being done to develop equipment for the animals. |
| What the department is doing to further develop load carriage for the use of the animals referred to in the question (the question text is truncated after 'm'). | Addressed | Direct | Statement 2 names load distribution and carriage as areas of further development and assessment under follow-on mounted training from Exercise COPPER HORSE, which answers the load carriage item. |
| What the department is doing to further develop operating endurance for the use of the animals referred to in the question (the question text is truncated after 'm'). | Addressed | Direct | Statement 2 names the endurance of horses and riders as part of the planned development and assessment work, directly answering the operating endurance item, with statement 3 supplying context that the work is exploratory. |