The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1868-04-24
Fson ,.e Agricultural Repor, 1866.
The Horse.

Horses selected for the cavalry
branch Of the service should have
been chosen with regard to their breed,
ileetness. size, weight, compactness,
muscular power, gait, courage, ana
gentle dispositions. THIS proper com
hination OF qualities was difficult to
obtain from northern horses. am
fee to say blood told the tale. "The
nobloSt conquest ever obtained by
man was over this proud and spirited
animal. which shares with him the
ia.isucs OF war aud the Slories OF bat
tie. The horse, bot less intrepid than
his MASTER, sees danger and deties it:
lie inur,s himself To the din of arms:
he delights in it. seeks it. and is ami
mated with an ardor equal to that Of
man." For cavalry service, com
handing and staff officers and mount
cd signal officers, the English blooded
stock Of horses is undoubtedly emit
tied to the preference. Stations, for
speed and endurance. have on all try
iny occasions evinced i decided supe
loriiy over gcldings.
1t must he admitted, despite our
preference for thorough breds Tor cav.
airy. that we have native breed
which for all merely practical parposes
is superior to the English stock, and,
for artillery, has no equals. allnde
to the Justin Morgan stock. Lacking
the gait of the English pred horse.
having been trained 10 trotting for
generations back, this deficiency is
inheren. For the movements of al
artillery corps, their gait is well adapt.
ed. Their symmetrical form, com
pactness. vigor, strength, and powers
of endurance excited much ad,nira
ton. and the prices asked and paid
Tor them proved the estimation in
which they were held. In some bat
teries. however, l noticed remarkably
fine looking horses particularly at the
tongues OF the vehecile in constant
use were were Of good size, and re-
minded me OF the Conestoga and the
old Esopns and Pilot Lion breed, while
their great weight assisted them in
pulling the ponderous loads through
mud and mire. | thought their ac-
ton was too slow for the quick and
liuely movements of battle, nor could
their powers Of indura' ce be depend
cd on when food became scarce and
they were subjected to hard usage.
The team or wagon horse next
comes up in regular order. Under
another head head mentioned how
horses are selected from government
corrals. The best horses were chosen
Tor che cavalry, the next best artillery,
and the last and worst for teams =
The idea was therefore fully carried
ont that when horse is unfit for any
other purpose, he vii. answer. or must
he made to answer, for a team horse.
And to teamstcrs were left horses OF
all ages, sizes, and colors, and mon
grels which had lost their identity
raised in low marshy lands, where
feed was plenty and freely given when
Young, with flat feet, beef heels, swol
len legs. sore eyes, and distempered
noses, walking bears and elephants
that carried the produce Of rich farms
to market, that, like Pindar's razors
were only made to sell. As the evils
rapidly increased, the more horses o.
this kind the government procured the
more the service suffered.
There, were, however, many excep
tons to this general rnle, Of suci
horses as had been ted and reared II
dry, light, and billy grounds, produc
ing temperate, swift, and vigorou
foals, with muscular legs and hare
hoofs, not 4. d with much grain VIII Ell
Young, and not brought into the arm!
before they were six years old, having
been previously trained to work in thu
plough or wagon, and sometimes to
pleasure driving, and weighing iron
100 to 1900 pounds. These coult
be relied upon for service and endu
rance.
But the transportation Of the arm.
only became effective when we be
came rid OF the pests have described
They were finally sold at government
sales at from one-titth to one-tenth Q
the original cost. The horses thu