Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-03-03
SELEC TING CAVALRY HORSES.
Animals That Are Unfit for the Saddle.
The Trooper and His Mount.

In the selection of cavalry remounts
great knowledge in horse lore is necessary.
The form, temper and action of the
animals must be considered. Many young
and sound horses that would be useful in
the shafts or ut the pole would make
sorry chargers. The best trooper mounted
upon a miserable beast Is but an incubus
to his troop, and no one knows this better
than the trooper himself. Put him astride
OF good anirial and he is another man
at once. The trooper should have some
vOice in tie selection of the horse he is to
ride, and which is to become in great
measure his alter ego. 1t is not, of course,
recommended that remounts be furnished
to dissatified men indiscrimipately, but
when good cavalryman complains to his
troop commander and satisfies him that
his complaint has reason in it, attention
should be paid TO his demand.
The eve necked horse is particularly un-
fit for the saddle. Such animals, al
though generally active, are weakly.
Other parts of their bodies are generally
narrow and misshapen, which detractS, of
course, from their bottom. \ good judge
can tell at glance whether or not horse
be purely or well bred. The thorough
bred has a straight Group, fine legs, is
broad between the eyes, with ears sensi-
tive, small and pointed. The low bred
animal has slOping quarters, into which
the tail is SCI; large flOppy ears, and some
times a mustache. Much of value re-
garding the horse can be learned from his
eye. That of well bred animal is open
and alert; that of the low bred dull and
half closed. Much of the white showing
denotes timidity and sometimes vice. OF
course, to mount the cavalry on thorough
breds would be too much like creating a
troopers paradise. Such millennium
can never be hoped for, but the introduc-
lion of low bred horses into the cavalry
service can and should be avoided. The
better his breeding the better is likely to
be his action, although some thorough
breds are deficient in this respect.
In selecting horses for remOunts those
with hoofs pointing inward should be re-
jected. as should those that have them
turned out. When the framework is
properly constructed the hoofs point
straight to the front. Such horses seldom
interfere or overreach, and generally have
good action. The horses action is gener-
ally governed by his formation, and hence
too much care cannot be bestowed upon
his general make up. The animal with a
deep chest combined with high withers
possesses as necessary adjunct slant
ing shoulder. The conformation, when
accompanied by an arched crest and
head well set on, makes model cavalry
horse, granting, of course, that he is
sound and not ruined in the training.
Much of the usefulness of the troop
horse depends upon the trooper who rides
him. Every cavalryman should be taught
something of 1.-THE nomenclature of the
beast" Why should not q man of the
mounted service know as much about the
animals construction that he rides as the
artilleryman knows of his weapons' In
stead of wasting time over studies which
do not pertain to his arm of the service,
instruct the trooper in pharmacy, N
veterinary surgery, in shoeing and in the
secret lore of the knowing horseman. Re-
mounts will then be less frequently re-
eured, and when they are they will be
better.-New York Times.