11/12/2020
On this Veterans' Day we want to take a moment to thank all the brave men and women who served our country and who continue to serve.
In honor of the animals who assist their human partners in the armed forces, we hope you'll enjoy reading the story of Nelson, pictured below with his soldier.
Nelson was a real war horse who served in the Warwickshire Royal Horse Artillery during World War I by pulling the medium-calibre guns and howitzers which were deployed close to the front line. Nelson's handler and driver was Alfred Henn, who kept a photograph of the war horse he had cherished as a young soldier until his death in 2000, at the age of 103.
Speaking before he died, Alfred recalled Nelson's unflinching bravery despite only having one eye. With Alfred riding him, and the full weight of a gun carriage behind him, the noble horse galloped directly into the gunfire. Nelson was Alfred's only confidant amid the horror of battle, and also had an uncanny sense of danger that served both soldier and horse well.
Horses were a valuable commodity during WWI, but it's said the terror they shared in those days forged incredible friendships between the animals and their humans. It was a very physical relationship, and soldiers and horses often slept together in the mud to ward off the cold.
Source: Daily Mail
