The tradition of the Riderless Horse is purported to date back to Genghis Khan and the Roman Empire. When a Roman soldier died, his horse was led behind his coffin in the funeral procession. During the ceremony, the soldier would be buried and his horse sacrificed and buried with him, both as tribute to him and as a means of equipping him to ride into battle in the afterlife.

In military funeral honors, a caparisoned horse follows the casket of an Army or Marine Corps officer who had attained the rank of colonel or above. Also eligible is the casket of a president, by virtue of having been the nation's military commander in chief and the Secretary of Defense, having overseen the armed forces.

The horse is equipped bearing a polished empty saddle and shiny stirrups with the backward boot symbolizing the fallen soldier looking back over their troops, and that they will never ride again.

A riderless horse is also featured in military parades to symbolize fallen soldiers.