The Remount and Veterinary Corps Explained

The Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) is the arm of the Indian Army responsible for procuring, breeding, training and caring for the service animals of the force, mainly horses, mules and dogs. Often called the RVC, the corps combines two older functions: the remount function, which supplies and trains animals, and the veterinary function, which keeps them healthy and fit for duty.

Although modern armies run on vehicles and aircraft, animals still do work that machines cannot do, especially at high altitude, in steep mountain terrain and in tasks that depend on scent. The Remount and Veterinary Corps therefore remains an active part of the Indian Army’s support structure. This explainer covers the corps’ history, animals, training, roles and organisation.

Key Takeaways

• The Remount and Veterinary Corps is the Indian Army arm that procures, breeds, trains and provides veterinary care for service animals.
• The Remount and Veterinary Corps traces its lineage to remount and veterinary services created for the East India Company’s armies in the 18th century.
• The Remount and Veterinary Corps supplies the mules and ponies that carry loads to high-altitude posts where roads and vehicles cannot reach.
• The Indian Army’s war dogs are trained for tasks such as explosive detection, tracking, guarding, patrolling and avalanche or casualty search, under the Remount and Veterinary Corps system.
• The Remount and Veterinary Corps Centre and College at Meerut is the principal training centre for the corps’ personnel and dog handlers.
• Horses supplied through the Remount and Veterinary Corps serve ceremonial units such as the President’s Bodyguard and the 61st Cavalry, and support Army equestrian sport.

What is the Remount and Veterinary Corps?

The Remount and Veterinary Corps is an arm of the Indian Army that manages the animals used by the force and the specialists who look after them. The word “remount” is a military term for a replacement horse, and in practice the term covers the whole process of acquiring, rearing, conditioning and issuing animals to units.

The veterinary side of the corps provides medical care. Officers and soldiers in the corps run veterinary hospitals, stud and breeding facilities, dog units and animal transport support. Its veterinary officers are graduates of veterinary science who are commissioned into the Army, and they work alongside handlers, riders and trainers.

The corps has a distinct place in the Army because its work is physical, specialised and sometimes sentimental. It forms bonds between animals and soldiers that are valued as much for their effectiveness as for their history.

How did the Remount and Veterinary Corps begin?

The Remount and Veterinary Corps began as separate remount and veterinary services created for the armies of the East India Company in the 18th century. Cavalry and artillery depended on horses, bullocks and mules, so the colonial armies established remount depots, studs and veterinary staff to keep a steady supply of animals.

Over time, these services were reorganised under the British Indian Army, with veterinary and remount departments growing alongside the cavalry and the supply columns. After independence in 1947, the Indian Army retained and reorganised these services, and the modern Remount and Veterinary Corps took shape as the combined arm for animal procurement, training and care.

Stages in the history of the corps

• 18th century: Remount depots and veterinary staff appear in the Company armies.
• 19th century: Studs, depots and veterinary hospitals are expanded to support cavalry, artillery and transport.
• World Wars: Large numbers of horses, mules and dogs serve in global theatres; the Indian Army supplies animals for campaigns abroad.
• After 1947: The Indian Army reorganises the animal services into the modern corps.
• Later decades: Mechanisation reduces the number of horses, while mules and dogs retain strong roles.

Which animals does the Remount and Veterinary Corps handle?

The Remount and Veterinary Corps handles three main groups of animals: horses, mules and ponies, and dogs. Each group serves a different purpose, and the corps maintains specialised facilities and training methods for each.

Why does the Indian Army still use mules?

The Indian Army still uses mules because they can carry loads on narrow mountain tracks where vehicles cannot go and helicopters are costly or weather-limited. A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse, and it combines the strength of a horse with the endurance and sure-footedness of a donkey.

Mules are valuable on glacial, snow-bound and forested routes, where they carry rations, ammunition, tentage, fuel and equipment to forward posts. In many sectors, supplies reach the last stretch of a track on a mule’s back. Animal transport units, associated with the Army Service Corps, use mules supplied and cared for by the Remount and Veterinary Corps.

Mules are hardy and can graze on sparse vegetation, but they need regular veterinary care, shoeing, conditioning and acclimatisation. The corps rears and issues them, and it ensures that they are fit for the loads and altitudes they will face.

What do the war dogs of the Indian Army do?

The war dogs of the Indian Army do detection, tracking, guarding and patrol work, with specialised dogs trained for explosives, mines, infiltrators and casualties. They are organised into Army Dog Units, and their training is a core responsibility of the Remount and Veterinary Corps.

• Explosive and mine detection: Dogs sniff out buried devices and explosives along routes and in buildings.
• Tracking: Dogs follow scent trails to locate infiltrators or missing persons.
• Guard and patrol: Dogs guard installations and accompany patrols, giving early warning of intrusion.
• Search and rescue: Dogs help find casualties, including those buried by avalanches or collapsed structures.
• Infantry support: Dogs assist troops in counter-insurgency and cordon-and-search operations.

Common breeds include the Labrador Retriever, the German Shepherd and the Belgian Malinois. Indigenous breeds such as the Mudhol Hound have also been trialled and used by Indian forces. Army dogs have received gallantry and service recognition, including commendation cards, and the force treats a dog and its handler as a team.

How are service animals trained in the Remount and Veterinary Corps?

Service animals in the Remount and Veterinary Corps are trained through structured programmes of conditioning, obedience and task-specific work carried out at the corps’ training centre and at dedicated depots. Training is gradual, rewards-based for dogs, and adapted to the task and terrain for horses and mules.

Dog training

Dogs begin with basic obedience and socialisation, then progress to specialised tasks such as detection and tracking. A dog is paired with a handler, who trains alongside it and learns to read its behaviour. The dog and handler are tested together before deployment.

Horse and mule training

Horses are schooled for riding, drill and, in some cases, equestrian sport. Mules are conditioned to carry loads over distance and are accustomed to noise, slopes and varied weather. Both groups undergo regular veterinary checks, feeding regimes and farriery, which is the care of hooves and shoeing.

The RVC Centre and College at Meerut is the corps’ principal training institution, and remount depots in places such as Hapur and Saharanpur have long been associated with rearing and training horses and mules.

What does the veterinary side of the corps do?

The veterinary side of the Remount and Veterinary Corps diagnoses, treats and prevents illness in service animals and supports animal health in military areas. It runs veterinary hospitals and dispensaries, advises on feeding and hygiene, and ensures that animals are fit for work.

• Preventive care, including vaccination, deworming and health surveillance.
• Treatment of injury and disease, with surgery where needed.
• Advice on nutrition, fodder and stable management.
• Breeding support and monitoring in studs and depots.
• Veterinary public health support in military stations, including food hygiene.

The corps also contributes to disease control, since animal health is linked to human health through zoonotic diseases. Its officers are trained to recognise these risks.

What is the role of horses in ceremonial and equestrian duties?

Horses supplied through the Remount and Veterinary Corps serve in ceremonial duties, mounted units and equestrian sport, representing a living military tradition. The President’s Bodyguard, one of the oldest units of the Indian Army, is a mounted regiment that escorts the President on ceremonial occasions. The 61st Cavalry, raised in 1953, is among the last regular horse-mounted cavalry regiments in the world.

Horses are also used in polo, show-jumping, dressage and eventing, where Army riders compete nationally and internationally. Equestrian training sharpens riding skill, and the sport remains part of the Army’s sporting culture. The corps’ responsibility is to buy, breed, condition and keep these horses healthy, rather than to command the mounted regiments themselves.

How is the Remount and Veterinary Corps organised?

The Remount and Veterinary Corps is organised around a training centre, remount depots, veterinary hospitals and dog units, working under the Army’s staff structure. Policy for the corps is handled at Army Headquarters by the directorate responsible for remount and veterinary matters, headed by a senior RVC officer.

Officers in the corps are trained as veterinary professionals, while soldiers serve as riders, handlers, trainers and stable staff.

How does the Remount and Veterinary Corps differ from the Army Service Corps?

The Remount and Veterinary Corps differs from the Army Service Corps in that the Remount and Veterinary Corps raises, trains and treats animals, while the Army Service Corps runs the supply and transport chain that uses them. The two arms cooperate closely, because mule transport companies depend on healthy, trained animals and on the supply system that tasks them.

• Remount and Veterinary Corps: responsible for animal procurement, breeding, training, veterinary care and dog handling.
• Army Service Corps: responsible for rations, fuel, general stores and transport, including animal transport units.
• Military Farms: a separate service that manages dairy and grass farms for the Army.

This division of work reflects the Army’s habit of separating the specialist who prepares a resource from the formation that employs it.

What happens to service animals when they retire?

Service animals of the Remount and Veterinary Corps are retired when age, injury or declining fitness make them unfit for demanding work, and they are cared for under Army and government arrangements. Dogs, horses and mules typically serve for several years before retirement, and the exact age depends on the animal and its duties.

Retired animals may be kept in Army establishments, transferred to suitable homes, or looked after in veterinary facilities, depending on policy at the time. Animal welfare is also a legal concern in India, where the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, sets general standards, and the Army follows its own regulations on care, working hours and loads. Veterinary supervision during service is meant to prevent overwork and to catch illness early.

Bottom Line

The Remount and Veterinary Corps keeps alive a tradition that predates the Indian Army’s mechanised arms. It supplies mules to supply lines in the mountains, dogs to detection and patrol work, and horses to ceremony and sport. As long as terrain, scent and tradition matter, the corps will remain relevant to the Army.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Remount and Veterinary Corps do?

The Remount and Veterinary Corps procures, breeds, trains and cares for the Indian Army’s service animals, mainly horses, mules and dogs. It also provides veterinary medical care and trains dog handlers. Its training centre is at Meerut.

Why does the Army use mules in the mountains?

The Army uses mules because they can carry loads along narrow tracks where vehicles cannot go. Mules are strong, sure-footed and able to work at altitude. They are especially useful for supplying remote posts in Himalayan terrain.

What breeds of dogs does the Indian Army use?

The Indian Army mainly uses Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois. Indigenous breeds such as the Mudhol Hound have also been trialled. The dogs are trained for detection, tracking, guarding and search tasks.

Where is the Remount and Veterinary Corps Centre located?

The Remount and Veterinary Corps Centre and College is located at Meerut Cantonment in Uttar Pradesh. It trains the corps’ officers, soldiers, handlers and dogs. It is the principal institution of the corps.

Does the Indian Army still have horse cavalry?

Yes, the Indian Army still has the 61st Cavalry, a horse-mounted regiment raised in 1953. The President’s Bodyguard is also a mounted ceremonial unit. The Remount and Veterinary Corps supports these units with horses and veterinary care.

Who looks after the health of Army animals?

Veterinary officers of the Remount and Veterinary Corps look after the health of Army animals. They run veterinary hospitals, give vaccinations and treat injuries. They also advise on feeding, stable management and hygiene.

{“@context”:”https://schema.org”,”@graph”:[{“@type”:”FAQPage”,”mainEntity”:[{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”What does the Remount and Veterinary Corps do?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”The Remount and Veterinary Corps procures, breeds, trains and cares for the Indian Army’s service animals, mainly horses, mules and dogs. It also provides veterinary medical care and trains dog handlers. Its training centre is at Meerut.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Why does the Army use mules in the mountains?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”The Army uses mules because they can carry loads along narrow tracks where vehicles cannot go. Mules are strong, sure-footed and able to work at altitude. They are especially useful for supplying remote posts in Himalayan terrain.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”What breeds of dogs does the Indian Army use?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”The Indian Army mainly uses Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois. Indigenous breeds such as the Mudhol Hound have also been trialled. The dogs are trained for detection, tracking, guarding and search tasks.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Where is the Remount and Veterinary Corps Centre located?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”The Remount and Veterinary Corps Centre and College is located at Meerut Cantonment in Uttar Pradesh. It trains the corps’ officers, soldiers, handlers and dogs. It is the principal institution of the corps.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Does the Indian Army still have horse cavalry?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”Yes, the Indian Army still has the 61st Cavalry, a horse-mounted regiment raised in 1953. The President’s Bodyguard is also a mounted ceremonial unit. The Remount and Veterinary Corps supports these units with horses and veterinary care.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Who looks after the health of Army animals?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”Veterinary officers of the Remount and Veterinary Corps look after the health of Army animals. They run veterinary hospitals, give vaccinations and treat injuries. They also advise on feeding, stable management and hygiene.”}}]}]}