Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-05-24
WAR HORSES.
Their Value-Their Training as Ex'
empIified at Samur.

Their Value-Their Training as Ex-
empified at Samur.
It rarely occurs to the average per-
son what an important part the horse
plays in the economy of war, for
without well-trained horses even
the magnificent cavalry and artillery
Of France and Germany would col
lapse and the whole war machine
come to q full stop. Thus, 1t is lit
tie wonder that France spends ST.
10000 a year on her troop horses,
Germany $4,000 and Great Britain
100000.
The great military nations, too,
maintain state breeding establish
ments; as we'll they may, seeing that
on a war footing imperial Germany
is supposed to put 201,100 horses on
the battlefield; France 100000; Aus
tria, 105,196; Great Britain 100000;
and Russia, the enormous number of
54S,400. The czar's vast Asiatic do
minions yield an inexhaustible supply
of hardy animals for the imperial
army.
No doubt one Of these days the
horse will have disappeared from the
battlefield altogether in favor Of the
motor. Already inventors and gen.
eral staffs are discussing the feasibil-
ity of gigantic armored cars, powerful
enough to cross any kind of country
land Dreadnoughts, in fact, capable
Of blowing towns out Of their path.
It is worth noting, however, that
in spite Of the vast number Of auto
mobiles In this country the price Of
horses has doubled in the last seven
years. Efficiently to horse an army
Is a vast and complicated business.
The work of training, classifying and
alloting the animals to the various
branches Of the service calls for a
large and expensive staff of veterinary
experts. For there Is much differ
ence between horses for heavy, me-
dunn and light cavalry, and also be-
tween those needed for the horse ar
tillery, field artillery, transport and
commissariat.
It was notorious that the hundreds
Of thousands of "green" young ami
mails bought recklessly by Great Brit
ain during the Boer war utterly fail
ed the British army on the veldt, be-
sides hampering Lords Roberts and
Kitchener, prolonging the costly wal
and causing thousands of soldiers to
sacrifice their lives simply through
inability to avoid a better mounted
enemy. In one bunch" 25,S72 Ar
gentine horses were sent out, and al
together the vast number Of 265,000
to take part in that great war.
There were occasions" wrote Lord
| Roberts, when the presence Of ar
adequate supply Of remounts would
have enabled our generals to deal q
crushing and decisive blow at the en-
emy. This was instanced during the
second invasion Of Cape Colony
where a few trainloads of useful
horses issued to flying columns would
certainly have resulted in the capture
of De Wet and his commando, ar
event which would have brought the
war to a speedy conclusion, and sc
saved fifteen months of further war
fare the expenditures Of thousands
Of lives and scores Of millions OF
| treasure"
Very interesting are those great es-
Establishments of the military powers
where horse and man are trained as
fighting unit under the direct super
vision of the general staff. For the
horse is the cavalryman's other self
and arrives as a recruit either half or
wholly broken. At the depot he is
trained and then drafted according
to size, color and weight-carrying ca
pacity into the various regiments
his other self, and where the twain
shall for all military purposes be-
come one-on drill and parade, in
peace or war.
This training Of horse and man is
seen in all its perfection in the great
French cavalry school at Samur.
which was founded in the eighteenth
century. Hither come all the smart
young lieutenants from the great mil
itary school at st. Cyr, to learn equi-
tation and horse training, as we'll as