[asgardshill]

The horse's name is "Sergeant York." An ex-racehorse, native American breed, coal black, very gentle, donated to the military IIRC. Why every animal on four hooves didn't completely freak out when the jets did their flyby is a complete mystery to me.

They were claiming on ABC radio news coverage that the special unit that does military funerals actually appears at about 1000 ceremonies a year (roughly 3 per day). Hard to believe, isn't it?

[Ramius]

Why every animal on four hooves didn't completely freak out when the jets did their flyby is a complete mystery to me.

Sgt. York, and the other horses in the honor guard, all do this sort of thing for a living. They've heard many 21-gun salutes and low-level flyovers in their day. The horses picked for events such as this are picked for qualities like that. They're the best of the best.

[isthisnickcool]

Why every animal on four hooves didn't completely freak out when the jets did their flyby is a complete mystery to me.

When they started yelling "We will win! We will win!" at the Wellstone funeral neither Hillary and/or Ted Kennedy bolted for the door. So it's true that you can train hooved animals to sit still. At least in Hillary's case. It's likely Kennedy could have been so drunk he didn't know where he was.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Why every animal on four hooves didn't completely freak out when the jets did their flyby is a complete mystery to me.

Training. Like when K9s are taken to the shooting range, and PD horses are made to under go training of people screaming and waving signs in their faces. They just get used to it. Training.