This really burns me. The Army is auctioning off two ceremonial horses like they were old truck parts. That's a fine thank you for serving their country. Wonder how the DoD guarantees that the horses aren't sold for slaughter? How about retiring them to a nice farm like police horses?

Defense Department Auction to Sell Retired Army Horses
by: The Associated Press
November 27 2006 Article # 8251

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They aren't the usual military-surplus goods auctioned online, such as scrap metal, airplane parts or fancy tents.

Rojo and Ninety-Nine are special items with special needs.

They are 10-year-old quarter horses who have been ceremonial mounts in the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood in Texas, and now they're heading into retirement. The Defense Department's online auction contractor says it's looking for a loving home where the animals will have plenty of room to roam.

"They certainly have served with honor, and we want to make sure they're taken care of," said Tom Burton, president and chief operating officer of Government Liquidation, which contracts with the government to sell military surplus items online.

It's not the first time that the Arizona-based company has auctioned military horses, although it has sold horses before, Burton said.

Those considering buying the animals can view their photographs and descriptions on the company's web site, govliquidation.com. Sealed bids will be accepted until Dec. 7.

Rojo has a chronic lameness problem and is most suitable for light riding or as a pasture companion for another horse. Ninety-Nine has nervousness and a varying temperament, making him best suited for an experienced rider, according to the auction company.

Both have been ridden in ceremonies and parades as part of the 1st Cavalry Division's horse detachment, Burton said.

The last active U.S. horse cavalry was disbanded the late 1800s. The horse detachment at Fort Hood, about 70 miles north of Austin, represents the Army in public appearances and is used in recruiting efforts and in promoting cavalry history, according to a description on Fort Hood's Web site.

The last horses auctioned by Government Liquidation sold in the range of $500 to $2,000, Burton said. Like all the online auction items, bidding starts at $50.

Government Liquidation auctions items that run the gamut from novel to routine--from Harley-Davidson motorcycles to hospital and dental equipment to fitness gear. It receives 10,000 items per week. Some of it is surplus merchandise from commissaries on military bases.

The company sells property turned in by the Defense Department that is no longer needed by the government.

"That item can be a horse, or it can be 500 bowling pins," Burton said. "It really is just a smorgasbord every week."