The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1861-10-02
HORSES kOK rhE CAVALRY.


| As large number OF horses are still 10 I've
raised IN this State for cavalry regiments. we
copy from the Michigan Farmer an excellent
description OF the points necessary 10 make a
good cavalry horse. These horses are uoi to h,
uuder hfieen hands In height nor over sixteen
hands. The colors preferred are hay. brown
black or chestnut. Grey or white horses are
not wanted, These horses are 10 have switch
tails. 10 bc good square irotIers that ~ to >..y.
They arc not 10 oe pacers, kers aluuiorS, IS
horses with such a gait are 0.fhcull 10 break 90
the last walk and TIE hard galiop. In n.c. the
horse is not 10 be less than four years oid. nor
more than nine be ls lo perfectly sound ard
broke, al least 10 the birdie.
The points OF good average cavalry hoI>c
may be summed up Dciter 10y know.ng whsy IA,
ha> To do. n cavaIry horse l. calc cuias,d 10
carry man and his accoutremelts. al "A ratc 81
al least Twelve or fifteen miles per das. The
average weight Of The cavalry mn ,uiisteG Is
Col. brodhead. is hot less tnau loo pu,.uu,,
very many OF them will go up 10 l15 ana loO
pounds. The saddle. Drdle holsters. and ac-
ooutremenis viii INCREASE the welght 10 .vv or
20 poands. Nov horse ihat MI. stand iron.
ten 10 taeniy miles travel and carry tbs ga
rs fair average, walk or trot, day ia and dsy
out. needs, In the hrst place, very srund. welt
made legs aud ieet, and also A stout body. But
a cavalry horse also WAITS something more.
His ultimate position Is to carry HE rider, when
ON service of danger, and il not reliable when
in the face Of the enemy, the horse il really IN
eucumbrance. instead vi a useful servant. Be
sides, therefore, the power 10 carry weight, the
cavalry horse should have action aud nervous
energy, speed and bottom. La our opinion.
therefore, no cavalry horse, tor the purpose oi
carrying such men Is We have enlisted IN this
State, ought to IN under fifteen aid a hall hands
in height; his age should be-. as near ss posi-
ble six years, and his weight ought not to be
less than ten hundred pounds in ordinary con
ditiOn. We should prefer it eleven hundred;
from ten hundred 10 eleven hundred and fifty
pounds Is good medium average. We should
not object to u twelve hundred horse If he was
well proportioned but the price fixed by gov
ernment precludes many offers of such horse
In appearance the head should be clean. small,
eyes perfectly sound and tree from bemlsh, the
muzzie we'll formed the ears small, aud lively
in motion the neck should be hne where the
head joins it, and should rise from withers and
the chest, strong and muscular The chest
should be moderately wide, the shoulders ret
well back, for straight up and down shoulder
will not admit OF action, beyond mere praIcc
with straight shoulder, also, is generally com
bined long back, bad point in cavalry
horse The girth should be deep, and the tore
legs apparently rather short than long, in pro
portion to the size Of the horse. The ieet
should be round, the hoofs slOping at al angle
OF fOrty-hve degrees, black aud perfect. A HAT
footed horse Is N the wrong place when put ia
the cavalry service.
The pasterns should be sloping and not too
long. The shank and knee should he straight
the latter fiat, bOny, clean, free from blemsh.
The arm muscular and tapering TO the knee.
| The back should be stout, IN proportion 10 the
length OF the horse, because the shoulders and
withers should slope we'll backward, and the
hind quarter should be full and long. Tho
more surface and fulness there are in the hind
quarter, the fuller are the muscles. No points
should be better developed than the ioln and
back muscles, for upon them depends the pro
pelling action and lasting vigor of the horse
A long backed horse, with the loin not full. and
the hind quarters stout, the muscles OF the IN
side OF the buitOcks not let down, with long thin
gambrels and light flank, is To he eschew,d Tor
any purpose on which lasting power is to l'e
looked for, and certainly Is not calculated to car
ry weight on his back, and NOV. it with force
and speed any length of time.
| There have a number Of very fine horses pa
raded before the oIiice Of the Adjutant General
Tor the past week, many OF them showing sape
rior breeding; where tney had height, however,
they lacked IN cOnpactness, and had too iittlc
body for their iengtn OF legs. A horse thai viii
carry an officer for six hours day, on drill OF
exercise Of troops, the officer Weighing from j.
| To 200 pounds, needs tO he a po~ eriul animal.
with "a strong cross OF the thoroughbred ~ "a
to possess both strength aud action, and tue en-
ergy TO recuperate, after day work, under
the saddle