Horse Heroes of History

We continue our series on horse heroes of history - who changed human lives - some avidly remembered, others forgotten - their memories should, and must, live on ... enjoy.

SERGEANT RECKLESS - THE MARE WHO BECAME A US MARINE

She wasn’t bred for war. In fact, she was barely more than a pony - a little chestnut Mongolian mare with a white blaze and three white socks. She stood just over 14 hands high and looked more like a child’s riding horse than a war veteran. But in the fire-scorched hills of Korea in 1953, that little mare would carry more ammunition, more wounded, and more heart than almost any soldier around her.

She was discovered by U.S. Marines in Korea when they realized they needed a horse to help carry 75mm recoilless rifle rounds, which were too heavy and too numerous for the men to transport alone. A young Korean boy offered to sell his family's mare for $250 - money he needed to buy his sister a prosthetic leg after she’d lost hers in the fighting. The Marines pooled their money and bought her.

They named her “Reckless,” after the recoilless rifle she was to serve. But it soon became clear that the name would come to describe her daring and indomitable spirit. She quickly won over the men of the 5th Marine Regiment. 

They fed her leftover rations - she famously developed a taste for scrambled eggs, peanut butter sandwiches, and even Coca-Cola. She slept in their tents. She learned to duck when she heard “incoming!” She wasn’t just tolerated - she was loved.

But it was on the battlefield where Reckless became legendary.

During the Battle of Outpost Vegas, a brutal and bloody engagement near the end of the Korean War, Reckless showed the heart of a warrior. The Marines were desperately outgunned and undersupplied. Over two days of relentless fire, Reckless made trip after trip - alone - through open territory, carrying ammunition uphill through explosions, machine gun fire, and smoke.

She made 51 solo trips in one day. She covered more than 35 miles total and carried over 4,000 kgs of ammunition. She was wounded twice - once above her eye and once in her flank - but she kept going. Again and again. No handler. No rest.

At one point, she shielded wounded Marines with her own body.

By war’s end, Reckless was no longer just a supply animal. She was a Marine. She was given the rank of Corporal, then later promoted to Staff Sergeant by the Commandant of the Marine Corps himself. She received two Purple Hearts, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and was the first horse ever to participate in a Marine Corps mess night - with her own place at the table.

When Reckless was shipped to the United States, she was treated as a decorated veteran. She spent the rest of her life at Camp Pendleton in California, where she had several foals and was visited by Marines who had served with her. When she passed away in 1968, she was buried with full military honours.

In 2013, a life-sized bronze statue of Reckless was unveiled at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Virginia — her ears alert, her gaze steady, ammunition canisters strapped to her back.

A tiny mare with a giant heart, Sergeant Reckless proved that you don’t need to understand war to be a hero in it. You just need the courage to keep going.

SEFTON - THE LONDON HORSE WHO CONQUERED

On the morning of July 20, 1982, Sefton stepped out into the streets of London in ceremonial regalia. He was part of the Household Cavalry - the proud and polished mounted division of the British Army that had guarded royalty and tradition for centuries.

At 19 years old, Sefton was a battle-tested, steady-tempered Irish-bred gelding - a handsome black horse with a bold white star on his forehead and years of service behind him. That day, he was on a routine morning ride through Hyde Park, a daily patrol the public often stopped to admire.

But at precisely 10:40 a.m., everything changed.

A bomb, planted by the Irish Republican Army and packed with six pounds of nails, exploded beneath the bandstand just as the horses passed. The blast tore through the procession - four soldiers were killed, and seven horses were obliterated. The street turned to carnage. Blood ran across the pavement. Limbs, human and equine, were shattered. London froze.

Sefton was critically wounded. Nails and shrapnel tore into his face, neck, legs, and body. His jugular vein was severed. Blood poured from dozens of wounds. But he didn’t collapse. He stayed upright. He stayed calm.

Despite unbearable pain, Sefton continued to walk. His rider, severely injured, managed to dismount before collapsing. Bystanders couldn’t believe what they were seeing - a horse so gravely wounded continuing to move with dignity and restraint, refusing to go down.

He was rushed to the army veterinary hospital. Over the next eight hours, military surgeons worked to save his life, transfusing litres of blood, removing embedded shrapnel, and stitching over 60 wounds. They feared he wouldn’t survive the night.

But Sefton did more than survive. He healed.

His resilience stunned the nation. Letters and flowers flooded in. Donations poured into the Horse Trust, raising over 650,000 pounds, which later created the Sefton Equine Hospital in his name. The BBC called him a “symbol of courage under fire.” Children sent him apples and poems. Newspapers published his photo with headlines like "The Horse Who Would Not Die."

Amazingly, Sefton returned to ceremonial duty just over a year later. Though he eventually retired in 1984, he continued to receive public attention and gentle visits until his passing in 1993, aged 30.

Sefton’s saddle - shredded by the blast - now resides in the Household Cavalry Museum. His name lives on through military awards and veterinary scholarships. He was not just a survivor; he was a symbol of resilience, stoicism, and the enduring bond between horse and soldier.

Legacy of the Silent Warriors

Sergeant Reckless (main picture) and Sefton never signed up for war. They didn’t know the causes or the politics. Yet, both met horror with a kind of noble calm - each in their own theatre of war, across different continents and decades.

They became more than horses. They became symbols.

Of loyalty. Of courage under fire. Of service without question.

They carried not only loads of ammunition and wounded comrades - they carried the spirit of the men beside them. In doing so, they earned their place not just in military history, but in the hearts of all who understand the deep, silent loyalty of a horse who trusts you.