Cruachan I was led by a drummer boy during parades, as it was some years before a Pony Major was appointed. Cruachan's spirit was well known to the soldiers of the Battalion. He was able to do a number of tricks on request, such as standing on an upturned bucket to "give a paw", if offered sugar and rearing up on his hind legs. However, his playfulness also extended to kicking unwary passers-by and escaping from his stable. Occasionally, he could be seen running around camp with a number of soldiers in pursuit. Cruachan I was regimental mascot until he retired in 1939 when the Battalion went on active service in Palestine. He was put out to grass at a farm near Oxford, where he died on 11 April 1942 at the age of 17.