The recoilless rifle was six feet long and weighed over a hundred pounds. It often required three or four Marines to carry it across the battlefields during the Korean War. Lugging it was dangerous, but it was necessary, because that rifle, which the soldiers nicknamed “reckless,” could fire a 75mm shell thousands of yards with surgical-like precision. It was one of the U.S. Marine Corps’ finest munitions. But the commander of the Recoilless Rifle Platoon, Eric Pedersen, knew there had to be a better way to use it on the battlefield in Korea.

After months of preparation, the time had finally arrived for the final week of training with the two horses I’ve been working tirelessly with. It’s been a roller coaster of emotions as I’ve trained them both, but I was ready to take them to the Thoroughbred Makeover!