Riderless horse A riderless horse or caparisoned horse ( in reference to its ornamental coverings , which have a detailed protocol of their own ) is a single horse , without a rider , and with boots reversed in the stirrups , which sometimes accompanies a funeral procession . The horse follows the caisson carrying the casket . A riderless horse can also be featured in military parades to symbolize fallen soldiers . In Australia for example , it is traditional for a riderless horse known as the ' Lone Charger ' to lead the annual Anzac Day marches . History . The custom is believed to date back to the time of Genghis Khan , when a horse was sacrificed to serve the fallen warrior in the next world . The caparison ed horse later came to symbolize a warrior who would ride no more . Others suggest that this tradition hailed from over a thousand years before Genghis Khan , when the Afghan people represented the Buddha as a riderless horse . In the United States , the caparisoned horse is part of the military honors given to an Army or Marine Corps officer who was a colonel or above ; this includes the President , by virtue of having been the country ' s commander in chief and the Secretary of Defense , having overseen the armed forces . Abraham Lincoln was the first president of the United States to be officially honored by the inclusion of the caparisoned horse in his funeral cortege , although a letter from George Washington ' s personal secretary recorded the president ' s horse was part of the president ' s funeral , carrying his saddle , pistols , and holsters . Traditionally , simple black riding boots are reversed in the stirrups to represent a fallen leader looking back on his troops for the last time . Notable horses . Old Bob . In 1865 , Abraham Lincoln was honored by the inclusion of a caparisoned horse at his funeral . When Lincoln ' s funeral train reached Springfield Illinois his horse Old Bob , who was draped in a black mourning blanket , followed the procession and led mourners to Lincoln ' s burial spot . Black Jack . A notable riderless horse was " Black Jack , " a half - Morgan named for General of the Armies John " Black Jack " Pershing . Black Jack took part in the state funerals of Presidents John F . Kennedy ( 1963 ) , Herbert Hoover ( 1964 ) , and Lyndon Johnson ( 1973 ) , and General of the Army Douglas MacArthur ( 1964 ) . Black Jack was foaled January 19 , 1947 , and came to Fort Myer from Fort Reno , Oklahoma , on November 22 , 1952 . Black Jack was the last of the Quartermaster - issue horses branded with the Army ' s U . S . brand ( on the left shoulder ) and his Army serial number 2V56 ( on the left side of his neck ) . He died on February 6 , 1976 , and was buried on the parade ground of Fort Myer ' s Summerall Field with full military honors , one of only two US Army horses to be given that honor . Sergeant York . " Sergeant York " was formerly known as " Allaboard Jules " , a racing standardbred gelding . He was renamed ( in honor of famous WWI soldier Alvin C . York ) when he was accepted into the military in 1997 . He served as the riderless horse in President Ronald Reagan ' s funeral procession , walking behind the caisson bearing Reagan ' s flag - draped casket . He was foaled in 1991 , sired by Royce and out of the mare Amtrak Collins sired by Computer . He is a descendant of the great standardbred racing stallions Albatross , Tar Heel and Adios .