Wild Horses Join the Corps

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LISA J. TOLDA / RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
A wrangler moves a flag around the head of a wild horse being ridden by Gunnery Sgt. Pete McConnell.

Wild Horses Join the Corps

By Robert Perea - The Reno (Nev.) Gazette-Journal
Posted : Saturday Jan 24, 2009 7:28:42 EST

Three young wild horses from rangelands along the eastern Sierra joined the Marine Corps Mounted Color Guard in January after four months of training by inmates at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center, a long tradition between the agencies.

“We like to joke and say this is just going through boot camp, and once they’ve gone through boot camp, they start their service in the Marine Corps,” Gunnery Sgt. Pete McConnell said.

After four months training at NNCC, the horses go to the Marine Corps Logistics Base outside Barstow, Calif., where they learn to march in formation and participate in presenting the colors for parades, shows and other formal occasions.

“The next thing you know, they’re in the Rose Bowl,” McConnell said.

Before the Marines get them, the horses are gentled daily by the inmate volunteers under lead trainer Hank Curry, a prison supervisor. The inmates are without violent pasts and must have at least six months of good behavior with no citations.

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