What Are Horse Marines?

Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines, who fed his horse on corn and beans and cut a swell in the Army, may be a character in a funny old song and an opera, but the U.S. Horse Marines were real. Marines are seagoing soldiers who usually serve as assault troops on land or sea. Horse marines were trained to fight on horseback as well as, and they could also dismount and fight on foot as infantry, making them a triple threat.

  1. Texas Horse Marines

    • The Texas Horse Marines were a group of about 30 mounted volunteers who scouted the Texas coastline in 1836 for Mexican troop landings during Texas' struggle for independence.

    Horse Marines in Latin America

    • From 1919 to 1933, the U.S. Marines were engaged in the "Banana Wars," a series of intense regional conflicts in Central American and Caribbean countries in support of U.S. interests. They rode and packed both horses and mules when moving through jungles and mountains.

    Horse Marines in China

    • Beginning in 1907 as a courier and early warning system for the diplomatic community of Peking, U.S. Marines serving in China were called "Horse Marines" because they used mounted patrols and also rode Mongol ponies for ceremonies and crowd control. The detachment was disbanded in 1938, just before the Boxer Rebellion of 1900.

    Today's Horse Marines

    • The only remaining equestrian unit in the USMC today is the Mounted Color Guard based in Barstow, California. It was formed in 1967 and participates in equestrian events nationwide. The unit also appears at special events such as funerals and parades.