Cruachan III stands 9.1 hands high and is a black  Shetland pony stallion; his sire was Harviestown Phyllapine (3003), a Reserve Champion at the Highland Show, and his dam was Harviestown Sylemma (13874).

From 1995 to 2009, he was the Regimental mascot of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and was bought by the serving Officers and Soldiers of the 1st Battalion. He made his first public appearance with the 1st Battalion on St Andrews Day in 1995, where he and his fellow soldiers were presented with sprigs of white heather from Lord Wemyss, on behalf of the St Andrews Society, Scotland.

Cruachan III used to live near Stirling, Scotland, with a companion Shetland pony called Islay. They now live in Redford Barracks, Edinburgh, Scotland. Both are looked after by a Pony Major, whose duties include their welfare and leading Cruachan III during his many appearances at Highland games, fairs and military parades. In 2008, when the Argylls returned from a gruelling six-month deployment to Afghanistan, he led the Homecoming Parades through Stirling, Dumbarton and Alloa in Scotland, and the Freedom of Canterbury Parade through Canterbury in England.

“ He is a bit of a character, he can be a stubborn wee thing at times and certainly keeps me on my toes – I think he knows he is a special pony and he plays up to it. He loves the attention and he is definitely aware when he is "On Duty”… Pony Major William Perry, 2008

In 2009, Cruachan III was adopted as the mascot of The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Tack, 1995 - 2009

In the images, Cruachan III is wearing an in-hand bridle with a red and white diced headband and a snaffle bit. Over his saddlecloth he wears a black leather roller and crupper. A roller is a type of girth with pads on either side of the back to prevent pressure. A crupper is an adjustable leather strap with a padded loop, which is fitted under the tail at one end, and through a ring on the back of the roller at the other. The crupper prevents the roller slipping forward, and together they stop the saddlecloth from moving.
On the saddlecloth is a stripe of a Lance Corporal and five medals, which reflect the conflicts in which the Regiment was involved. The saddlecloth is green and gold, with an embroidered regimental badge of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.

Continued: Cruachan III, The Royal Regiment of Scotland