The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1907-06-27
HOW HORSES
ARE TRAINED
FOR WARFARE

1t rarely occurs 10 the average person
what an important part the horse plays
in the economy OF war, for without we'll
trained. trustworthy horses even the mag
nihcent cavalry and artillery OF France
and Germany would collapse and the
whole war machine come 10 "A full stop.
Thus II id little wonder that France
spends $1,000 a year on her troop
horses. Germany $4,000 and Great Britain
10000
The great military nations, too. main
tain state breeding establishments. as
well they may. SAYS The washington
Star, seeing that on a war footing Inn
perial Germany is supposed 10 put 100
horses on the battlefield; France. 2C2,O40;
Austria. l06 1876; Great Britain, 10000 and
Russia the enormous number OF 54s,io0
The car vast Asiatic domnions yield
an inexhaustible supply OF hardy animals
for the imperial army.
No doubt one of these days the horse
viii have disappeared from the battle
field altogether In favor OF the motor.
Already inventors and general staffs are
discussing the feasibility OF gigantic
armored cars, powerful enough TO cross
any kind of country-land Dreadnoughts.
in fact. capable OF blowing towns out OF
their path.
II 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 vast and complicated business.
The work OF training, classifying and
allotting the animals TO the various
branches OF the service calls for
large and expensive staff OF veterinary
experts. For there is much difference
between horses for heavy, medium and
light cavalry. and also between those
needed for the horse artillery, neld
artillery, transport and commissariat.
IL was notorious that the hundreds
OF thousands OF green" young animals
bought recklessly by Great Britain
during the Boer war utterly failed the
British army on the veldt. besides ham
pering Lord Roberts and Kitchener
| prolonging the costly war and causing
thousands OF soldiers TO sacrifice their
| lives. simply through inability TO avoid
| a better mounted enemy. In one
| bunch" 25.s72 Argentine horses were
sent out. and altogether the vast num-
ber OF 2e5,000 journeyed seven thou
sand miles across the seas to take part
4 In that great war.
There were occasions" wrote Lord
Roberts, when the presence OF an
| adequate supply OF remounts would
have enabled our generals 10 deal a
| crushing and decisive blow at the
| enemy. This was instanced during the
| second invasion of Cape Colony. where
a few trainloads OF useful horses is
sued to flying columns would certainly
have resulted in the capture OF De Wet
| and his commando, an event which
would have brought the war to a
speedy conclusion, and so saved 10
months OF further warfare the ex-
penditure OF thousands OF lives and
scores OF millions OF treasure"
Very interesting are these great estab-
| lshments of the military powers. where
| horse and man are trained as fighting
| unit under the direct supervision OF tNe
| general STAFF. For the horse Is the caval-
ryman's other self and arrives as re-
cruit either half or wholly broken. AT
| the depot he is trained and then drafted
| according to size. color and weight carry
| ing capacity into the various regiments.
where ne makes the acquaintance OF his
other self. and where the twain shall for
| all military purposes. become one-on driii
and parade I'm peace or war.
This training OF horse and man is seen
| in all its perfection in the great French
cavalry school at Saumer, which WAS
| founded In the eighteenth century. Hither
come all the smart young lieutenants
from the great military school at st Cyr.
to learn eauitation and horse training, as
| well as veterinary work, shoeing. saddle
making and military telegraphy
Work begins before dawn, by the light
| OF great electric arcs, and the younger
horses are broken TO every kind OF trick
while carefully confined between two pad
ded columns. You will see gay dragons
and hussars galloping, leaping hurdles.
hitting the Turks head. mounting AMI
| dismounting at full speed. Or here VIII
be recruits trying 10 maintain their seats
without bride or stirrups, while the RID
ing master nicks the horse with his whip,
causing him to send the exhausted cav
alryman high up I'm the air, as III sho' ny
living catapult
The war horse OF today must be indif-
ferent TO all sorts OF startling reports,
from the crack OF service revolver 10
the dread roar OF parked artillery. some
of them take the fash and report very
quietly, even at first, and pass on TO more
severe trials. Others are very tlmld ana
require much patient and gentle treat
ment before they are broken. Az ias.'
however. a 15-pounder might be fired al
most over their backs and they would
hardly finch
After this they are taught TO face hre-
that is TO gallop fearessly up TO line
Of infantry blazing away with their rines
Curiously enough, many OF the horses
that would face guns firing black powder
a few years back Will now sny ana srow
terrified at flash and roar not accompan-
led by smoke.
wears ago the mortality among horses
IN actual warfare was terrible. In the
Franco-German conflict at least 5000
horses were killed. while I'm Napoleon 5
campaign beyond the Niemen 5000 out OF
10 ooo were either killed outright In bat
lie or else succumbed to wounds ana
sickness. .
Crsat attention. however, is paid nova
davs 10 wounded horses on the battle
aeld and the veterinary surgeons go IN
search of fallen animals. for whom, as
Cor the ordinary soldiers, there are am
balances and hospitals replete with eiec.
trical appliances. operating tables ana
and every device that modern science can
suggest
CART $1oo, 900, 900 TO