Heroic Army mascot pony laid to rest

A beloved army mascot was laid to rest in the grounds of Stirling Castle.

Cruachan III, who had the rank of pony lance corporal in the Regiment of Scotland, died in February that year at the age of 30.

The Shetland pony was suffering from arthritis all over his body, causing severe pain, and vets made the decision to put him to sleep, in the familiar surroundings of his stable at Edinburgh’s Redford Barracks.

Following a poignant service, his remains were interred in the grounds of Stirling Castle.

Present at the service, conducted by Padre Duncan Macpherson, were retired members of the Argylls, The Argylls’ Association and The Royal Regiment of Scotland as well as serving soldiers from the Argylls’ successor battalion, The 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland and Cpl Cruachan IV, the current Regimental Mascot, with his and Cruachan III’S handler, Pony Major Cpl Mark Wilkinson.

Shetland pony mascots have been an integral part of the army in Scotland’s history for almost 90 years, since Princess Louise presented Cruachan I to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 1929.

Cruachan III had a long and memorable military career, joining the 1st Battalion the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in September 1995.

He served everywhere the Argylls did around Scotland and England, including stints at Balmoral with the Royal Guard.

He also served with them on several operational tours, including in the Balkans, Iraq and Northern Ireland.

During his service, he was awarded the NATO Former Yugoslavia Medal, the Iraq Medal, the General Service medal with the Northern Ireland Clasp, the Accumulated Service Medal and the Jubilee medal.

In 2006, on the formation of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, he became their first mascot and continued representing the regiment at state and public duties and parades, as well as at fairs, charity events, Highland games and horse shows all over the country. He was asked to appear in the Diamond Jubilee Pageant, in honour of the Queen’s 60 years as monarch, in May 2012.

He retired from service on the last night of the 2012 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, where he led the guard of honour at the show’s finale, in front of 9,000 audience members and 1000 cast. This was the 10th run of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in which had taken part.

After his military career was over, Cruachan III became stablemate to Cruachan IV, who took over from him as the official mascot.

He still travelled with Cruachan IV to events for as long as he was able. The Royal Regiment of Scotland’s Pony Major, Corporal Mark Wilkinson said: “I will always be in debt to him for giving me the opportunity to meet so many people, both civilian and military. Her Majesty The Queen always asked for him and everyone always smiled when they saw him – this is a testament to how loved he was. He had been challenged with numerous health problems in his later years, which he has always been able to beat. Unfortunately this one was too much.

“An animal first but soldier second, he held all values and standards we would expect in a Scottish soldier coming into work. Nothing was ever a chore and I will miss not seeing his face covered in feed every morning.”