The sun., 1908-01-06
ARMY HORSEMENSHP TESTS
PRESIDENT WOULD MOUNT ALL
- INFANTRY CAPTAINS.



mltteO . Report showing tho PraCtiQO !
IN European APmiea-WOuld Establish |
RsmOmt stations 70 Train HOrses. !
WASHINGTON. Jan. S-Presidsnt RoosS-
welt has broken another prsCedent BY trans- |
mittinG directly to tho chairman Of tho |
Committos on Military Affairs Of the House |
Of Representatives . special report on the |
horsemAnahip tests prescribed by foreign |
GOvetnmSntS for the training Of their army |
officers. ThiS report was prepared by ,
Major-0en. j. Franklin Bell Chief Of Staff
OF the army. at tho request Of the President, !
70 demonstrats that the riding tests OF tho
United States Army were not more severe |
than those required by. foreign Govern
ments. Ths President has sent also TO the
Secretary Of War a letter directing him 70
take any necessary steps to bring to the at
tention OF Congress- the necessity OF l0gis-
lation to make infantry Captains mounted
officers and 20 establish rsmount depots
for the army in accordance with the recon-
mendations Of Quartermaster Aloshire.
In submitting the horssmanship report
to the House Military Affairs Committee
tho President said:
-. %. lwAsHINOToN.. Jan. I, 1908.
SIR I transmit herewith a report from
the Chief OF Staf which 10 self-sxplanatory.
The field officers Of our army cannot be held
exclusively responsible for the poor riding
which has been frequently observed among
them. The qualities OF our horses do not
equal that Of mounts used in foreign armies.
Furthermore. the all infantry Captains In
European armies are mounted; an infantry
officer in our service has little opportunity to
practise riding until he becomes neld officer
The only practicable way In which We can
- = a.
the method adopted in foreign armies in OBJ
tanning remounts They purchase young
horses send them to remount stations. where
they are trained for about year and finally
assigned TO the service. well broken and
trained for military use. This has proven
to be cheaper in the end by making the horses
last much longer in the service.
have instructed the Secretary OF War to
take such steps as may be necessary to bring
to the attention OF your committee the de-
sirabIlity OF legislation for mounting infantry
Captains and for the establishment OF reTnount
depots. It Is hoped that the military COM
mitteee Of both houses OF Congress may give
favorable consideration to these two meas
ures. which are essential to improving horse
manship in our army and in raising the stand
ard Of efficiency throughOut the service.
Sincerely yours.
THEoDORE ROOSEVELT.
Gen. Bells report TO the President says
in part:
The general rule prevailing in European
Armies requires all mounted officers OF every
grade to keep both themselves and their
mounts in At condition for war. The French.
German Austrian and Italian armies all
maintain military schools and institutes lin
Guiding schools OF euuitatiOni for the tnstruc-
ton Of officers, and in all OF them as rule
student officers are instructed In riding and
horsemanship Their conditions or service
are 40 different from ours and their Organiza-
ton and system of training such that the
daily work. OF nearly all mounted oficers
affords ample opportunity for practical tests
In horsem anship The European idea appears
to be that daily service Is a daily examination,
that as an officer il instantly under the orders
and observation OF his superiOrs. a special
test would be supertiuOOs. for his efflctency
report, showing the opinion OF his superlors
az to his military capacity and aptitude IN
general and hOrsemanship In particular. COM
pIeteiyv states the'case. ...-. '..--
Division, ,lbri Rade. regimental and battalion
commanders are all present at drills, each
observing the performance OF his respective
subordinates. as reports are required OF
all commanders each year upon the eni0lsnCy
OF subordinates in all respects, Division
comma nders whose reports upon an Oftcer
largely determine the views OF the War
Department as to his merits. generally base
their opinions upon their own impressions,
1 supplemented by those OF brigade, EeRi-
mental and other commanding Ontcers.
The great manpuvres are the practical testing
in the field of all officers. Efficiency re-
ports are usually made after the man@uvres
each year Should division commander
report a field officer deficient in hOrseman-
shin at any time he is either assigned to
some kind OF duty not requiring physical
activity-practically shelved-Or becomes
subject to transfer to the retired list without
any further examination or tests
In our own army we annually make eni-
cheney reports on all officers except Cen
erals. but It is impossible to establish con-
ditions of service such as exist in the large
standing armies OF Europe or to apply their
methods under our law
Cross-country riding to hounds is common
in all European armies and all mounted Offiders
participate. In at least two European armies
those Of Germany and FTancel special courses
Of training In eduitation and horsemanship
have been established for field officers with
the view of keeping them under observation
! a sufflcient time to test or select them for
| promotion to active commands.
In the French army there are no eXamina-
! tions for promotion whatever. in the Italian
| army a portion Of the Captains only are eX-
I amined, but in both Of these armies ample
facilities and opportunities exist for de-
| termining the knowledge and practical en-
| cheney of officers at all times. As rule the
4 degree OF ertlciency IN ElulhH anu noIsoIhdh-
| ship OF officers Is as well known 60 everybody
as their personality and at all inspections and
| maneuvres officers deficient in riding are
| reported. In the French. German and Aus
,trian armies only Lieutenants Of foot troops
| of the line are not required to ride. as all
| Captains are mounted Officers.
The report says that all French cavalry
officers upon becoming Majors and Leuten-
ant-CoIoneIs are required to take course
| in edutation at the cavalry school at Sau-
/ muir The course lasts two months and in
cludes cross-country riding OF all kinds.
| involving jumping obstacles. such as
! fences, bitches. walls, hedges and water
| Jumps. Each officer during the course
| spends about four and a half hours per day
/ in the saddle.
In Germany the tests are exceptionally
| severe At the German riding school az
| Hanover the fitness OF the officers 10 tested
| by inspections, by practice rides OF from
1 forty to eighty miles on a stretch and IN
] the fan man Oeuvres. In June at Hanover
| there are drag hunts for SIX weeks with
| three hunts a week. The officers begin at
gallon OF five to six kilOmeters and work
| up TO thirty kilometers. The horses used
| are very fast and the country N hard TO