The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-10
5000 HORSES WANTED.
Uncle Sam Securing the Country for
Good Horsefesh at Good Prices.

Tampa Letter in Leslie weekly.
Uncle Sam wants forty thousand horses.
States buying up all the salable and suit
able horsefiesh. In order to get these horses
at once Uncle Sam is. paying 10 per cent sfdc
horses are bringing $40. In order to increase
the army to war strength every cavalry
regiment needs eight hundred additional
hundred OF course, only the right horses
are wanted Out of every hundred offered
are FESTIVE. vicious or. too free in the. har-
ness, 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 a good coat;
between five and eight years old; weight
between 1000 and 1,5OO pounds; between 10
and 1515 hands high; free from bad habits;
ambitious A half-bred horse is more. dur
able than thoroughbred for rough riding
The cavalry 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.
touching it under the fetlock, 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 who 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 be-
cause the real, life model was thus mount
ed Twenty thousand horses are needed
here at Tampa, 5000 at Chickamauga, 1000
at Mobile 5000 elsewhere. If you have one
horse or hundred horses for sale write to
the Horse Commission, care of Quartermas-
ter's Department. at any of these places
All letters will be answered Immediately
The chief of the Horse Commission at Tam
pa has given me the following technical de-
scription of the horses which Uncle Sam
will buy, and for which he will pay spot
cash:
The animal must, be sound, without blem-
ish or defect, we'll bred and of kind DISPOSE
ton and free from vicious habits; we'll
broken to harness and gentle under the sad
die, with easy mouth and gait, and with
free. prompt action at the walk, trot and
gallop. and otherwise conform to the follow
ing descriptions: To be geldings of uniform
size and color, in good condition. from 15A
to 16 hands high, weight of leaders not less
than 1000 pounds. and that of wheelers not
more than 1,50O pounds; from FIVE to eight
broad, eyes large and prominent, vision per-
feet in every respect, chest full and deep,
trent legs straight and standing well under;
shoulders sufficiently broad to support col
lar but not too heavy; barrel large and in
creasing from girth to flank, the withers
elevated, back short and straight, with
hooks we'll bent and under the horse; the
feet sound and in good order; loIng-legged,
oose-jointed ong bodied and narrow 70 W.
sorrels, bays browns blacks and dark
Every horse enlisted in the army has to
same as every recruit 1t is important that
the horse as well as the cavalryman shall
understand his business. The animal is
first giver lesson in running round cen
trail poiat, with a rope 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 gal
Looping. Following this. he is given bending
lessons, 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 cir
Gus horse, understanding every command
of his MASTER Another interesting feature
of training a horse is to make him lie down
when commanded. In battle, horses are
used by the cavairyrnen rs breastworks.
When a horse will lie down when comman l.
ed the most difficult part of the training
process is over