The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1907-09-12
TRAINING HORSES FOR WAR.
Feurfooted Regulars Have to TAX

FSurTooteo regulars raVc 70 taNW
Long Course of Lessons.
Germany needs 10000 o horses for
cavalry and artillery to put her colos-
sal forces In the field; France re-
Quires probably 100000, and even
Great Britain needed as many as $780,.
600 in South Africa. while she was
fighting the Beers.
Although in England in peace time
mounts only two-thirds of her cavalry
her horse bill amounts to about $780,
900 a year-a figure which may be
multiplied by four or five for the Ger
man army.
In most countries omnibus. farm and
domestic horses are registered as be-
ing available in time of war for mis-.
cellaneous service, and for this any.
thing from $4,000 to $4,000 a year
may be paid by a military nation.
France spends upward Of 100000 a
year on horses for her great armies.
AS a general rule. says a writer In the
Circle, the recruits are five years old
and cost $500 each.
Cavalry charges vary from fifteen
to sixteen hands in height, and sharp
rules have been laid down about theif
shape, action and treatment. There
are regular schools where the raw four.
legged recruit is trained. His educa'
ton embraces the fearless swimming
of deep and wide rivers.
1t is extremely interesting to see a
thousand four-legged recruits drawn
up in a ring around the Instructor,
who opens the proceedings with a
sharp shot from an army revolver.
The animals are taught to ganop fear
lessly up to a line OF square OF imam
try, who are blazing away with their
rifles, Of course loadede with blank
cartridges.
Lastly comes a charge upon bat
teries of quick-fring cannon. 1t Is
worth noting that when smokeless
powder came into general use it was
found that thousands of horses which
would face without 1inching the smoke
of guns using black powder baked
and SHE'D at the sinister fash and
roar of cordite and melinite.
There appears to be as much ind.
viduality among horses as among
men. Some take the fash and report
very quietly, and are passed on to
more severe trials. while others e a
and try to bolt in abject terror.
The riding masters intrusted with
the education of these horses are espe.
cially selected for their ~quietness,
kindness, ~self-control and patience,
united with courage, armness and the
absolute confidence born of tried and
consummate horsemanship. Horse
and man are trained together In the
various armies.
The French cavalry recruit goes
through no fewer than 112 separate
lessons in revisions before he is con-
sidered fit to get upon his horse, which
is trained simultaneously. Both are
taught to swim ~burdened' with full
equipment; both are thoroughly &C
customed to all sorts of startling nois-
es, from the crack of a revolver to the
ear-splitting a Of packed artillery.
Besides the riding school training,
there is also field work across coun
try with steeple-chasing, jumping over
hurdle, and even over the dinner ia.
BILE, where a silver set feast has been
spread. Not so much as a folded nap
kin must be displaced by the iying
leap of the cavalryman right over the
table. One part of the chargers edu-
cation shows him how to lie PROSTATE
on the field of battle and shield his
rider from hostile bullets, as the latter
crouches behind the faithful creature.
So perfectly are cavalry horses
trained that every great val beholds
the curious spectacle of riderless
horses g%alloping to the charge in per-
feet line. Thus at Balaklava the front
rank of one regiment was composed
almost entirely of riderless horses,
their masters having been dropped by
he Russian sharpshooters.