The Saint Paul globe., 1898-07-10


VINO want to Sell - Require
ments i'm the Army Horse.
From Leslie's Weekly
HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY
tampa. Fla, June 13. - Uncle Sam
wants 10000 horses. His agents are
spreading out over forty states buyine
up all the salable and suitable horse
Hesh. In order to get these horses at
oEce, uncle Sam is paying 10 per cent
aoove open market price. Hundreds
or $lO0 horses are bringing S11O. In
order to increase the army to war
Strength every cavalry regiment needs
oVo addHlonal horses. and every artil-
lery regiment 400. OF course only the
right horses are wanted Out Of eyery
lOO offered, only about thirty are ac-
cepted. Horses that are restive, vic
1ous, or too free in the harness. or
which, upon rigid inspection, do not
meet all requirements, are rejected.
The essential points of a cavalry
horse are: Sound in every particular;
good, healthy color, clean limbs, and
good coat; between FIVE and eight
years old; weight between 1000 and
1,5OO pounds; between fifteen and ff-
teen and half hands high; free from
vicious habits; ambitious A half-bred
oughbred for rough riding. The caval-
ry must have horses that can be turned
into the ranks ready for use. A nerv-
Gus, crazy horse is as bad as a nervous
man. Cavalrymen detect a nervous
animal by touching it under the fet-
lock. where the bone is sensitive If
the beast is inclined to kick, he will
do so then
Government officers who select horses
think bay the best color. A bay is apt
to be most sound and healthy. White
animals are not wanted. The enemy
can see them at night. A soldier wf,o
expects to go into battle never wants
white mount. Artists who insist upon
putting generals on white horses do so
for artistic effect, and not because the
real, life model was thus mounted.
Twenty thousand horses are needed
here at Tampa; 5000 at Chickamauga;
1000 at Mobile; 5000 elsewhere. If you
have one horse or 100 horses for sale,
write to the horse commission, care of
quartermaster's department, at any of
these places. All letters will be an
swered Immediately. The chief of the
horse commission at Tampa has given
me the following technical description
of the horses which Uncle S.za will
buy. and for which he will pay spot
cash:
The animal must be sound without b,emfsh
or defect, we'll bred and Of kind disposition
and free from vicious habits: we'll broken to
harness and gentle under the saddle. with
action at the wax. trot and ga.l2p; and
otherwise conform to the following descrip-
ton To be geldings of uniform size and
color; in good condition from fifxen and
quarter 10 sixteen hands high. weight of !ead-
exS not less than LOCO pounds, and that o.
wheelers not more than t5C0 pounds; from
10 10 5 years o.d; head and ears small. forehead
broad. eyes large and prominent, vision per-
Iect IN every respect. chest full and deeD
front legs straight and in every respect we'll
under; shoulders sufficiently broad 10 sup
port collar, but not too heavy; barrel la4 ge
and increasing from girth 20 flank the witt ers
eeFated. back short and straight with broad
deep loins. with sold hind quarters; hooks
well bent and under the horse: the feet sou-d
and In good order; long-legged. loose -ioiutsd
.ons-bodied and narrow chested. Only dark
Sonn solors are IRE desirsd,dark sorrels bass,
Every horse enlisted in the arry
has to go through course of instruc-
tion just tie same as every recruit.
1t is important that the horse, as we'll
as the cavalryman, shall understand
his business. The animal is first Civ
en- lesson In running round a central
point, with rope tied to his neck.
Balky or unruly, he is strapped and
thrown to the ground. Later, he is
taught the various gaits. is given
course In trotting and gallopng Fol-
lowing this, he Is given bending les
sons. how to passage right to left, how
to turn on fore feet. and so on. In the
drill the movements of the cavalry
horse must be like machinery He
must be like a circus horse, under
standing every command of his mas
ter. Another interesting feature of
training a horse is to make him lie
down when commanded. In battle,
horses are used by the cavalrymen as
breastworks. When a horse will lie
4 h. IL
ficult part of the training process is
over.-Gilson Willets.