Overcoming nearly 2,000 km in 3 days 2 nights

At 5:00 a.m. on March 25, 127 officers, soldiers and 62 service horses set off from Thai Nguyen to Ho Chi Minh City, traveling nearly 2,000 km in 3 days and 2 nights by road.

For more than a month now, the cavalry unit of the Cavalry Mobile Police Corps (Mobile Police Command - K02, Ministry of Public Security) has settled down and trained at Special Police Corps No. 2 (Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City) to prepare for the grand celebration of the 50th anniversary of national reunification on April 30.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Sy Ha, Deputy Head of the Cavalry Mobile Police Group, shared that the group has traveled to many localities before, but this march was perhaps one of the most special and challenging trips.

Because, on the journey of nearly 2,000 km in 3 days and 2 nights, the group had to go through many localities with different weather conditions. This greatly affected the health of the horses if there was not the closest monitoring and care of the officers, soldiers of livestock and veterinary.

After receiving the mission to participate in the parade on April 30 - an important event of the country, the Command of the Mobile Police Cavalry held many meetings to discuss plans, methods of moving, caring for and training horses for more than 1 month in Ho Chi Minh City.

Regarding the travel, a very detailed plan was made, including tasks such as assigning who to do what, how to prepare provisions along the way, choosing where to stop for a rest, how many minutes to take a lunch break, how to check the horses, etc. "Everything was precise down to the centimeter" - Lieutenant Colonel Le Sy Ha said.

According to the plan, on the way, the group will coordinate with local police as well as units of K02 to arrange food, accommodation, and transportation for people and horses to ensure the safest and healthiest conditions.

In total, the delegation mobilized 21 vehicles, including 8 horse carts, 1 food cart, 1 veterinary tool cart...

Every day, when it is time for lunch, the horses remain in the car. The car is parked in a shady place and all the doors are opened to give the horses fresh air. At this time, the animal husbandry staff will feed the horses in the car. The veterinarian is responsible for checking the health of each horse, seeing if any show signs of fatigue, loss of appetite, motion sickness, etc., and will provide timely support.

At the end of the day, the group stopped at a local mobile police unit to rest and prepare for the next day's march. Where they stopped was also part of the group's plan, as they had to choose a unit with suitable horse-keeping space.

Here, the horses will be released to move freely, avoiding stress after a long journey in a small space. At this time, the horses will have a more complete meal including hay, bran and lick stones - a type of food to supplement minerals.

All of this food was brought by the group. When they arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, the food was delivered by the supplier to ensure the horses had fresh grass every day.

At the overnight stop, the soldiers trained the horses to bathe, clean, and groom them to be as clean and comfortable as possible, just like being at "home".

Soldiers are the first to feel happy or sad about the health of their "comrades in arms".

All 62 service horses were safely transported to Special Police Group No. 2 stationed in Long Thanh My (Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City) on March 27. This unit also has enough facilities to serve the group of 127 officers and soldiers as well as enough stable space for the horses to eat, rest, and train.

“At the time of the start of the move, the North was at the end of the cold season, while the South was at the end of the dry season, with relatively hot weather. This change in weather was the most worrying factor for the horses’ health.

Based on the initial survey results, we arranged the barns to create a suitable 'microclimate' for the horses to slowly adapt to the new weather," said Lieutenant Colonel Ha about choosing and preparing the location for the cavalry.

After this march, some horses showed signs of fatigue and illness in the first few days. However, with close monitoring and timely care, up to this point, all horses are still in good health, well adapted to the Southern climate, ready for the great ceremony.

Before a major national event that was highly anticipated by the people, the young soldiers were both proud and a little worried - not only for their own health but also for the horse they were assigned to train.

Monitoring the health of horses is not only the duty of veterinary staff but also the duty of the soldiers themselves, the ones who are closest to and understand horses the most. More than anyone else, the soldiers are the first to feel happy or sad about the health of their “comrades in arms”.

"The officers and soldiers are very determined and are looking forward to the great ceremony so that we can report to the nation and our compatriots about the cavalry's training process over the past time," said Lieutenant Colonel Le Sy Ha.