Horse Detecting

We had a strange request yesterday from the Army. They wanted us to pack some loads onto a couple of our horses and then ride around in the woods with the pack horses in tow to see if they could detect us. They set up all kinds of sensors on the ground and even had one up in the air tracking us. As an observer to the test, I couldn't help noticing that you cannot hear a column of horses walking through the woods unless they cross an asphalt road. Modern warfare sure has taken a strange turn. It seems the horse is coming back. Someone recently gave me a copy of Horse Soldiers about the Afghanistan war and how horses are being used there. Can't wait to read it.