The Washington times., 1914-11-19
100000 HORSES
NEEDED IN WAR ZONE
United States Source of Supply.
Pink Eye Cause of Heavy
Losses.

While the inspired writer's continue to
assert that the United States has the
poorest horses in the world for army
purposes. representatives Of the French
and English governments are buying
our equine misfits just as fast as trans
portation can be found for the unfortu-
nate animals destined for the war zone.
That the demand will continue un-
sbsted until peace is restored seems to
be the opinion Of everybody identified
with the trade and IL the war goes on
as long as some of the military and
financial authorities are now predicting
II will take close to one million horses
out Of the United States as a RESULT OF
The great conflict.
When France has approximately 2,0Oo.-
900 men at the front, with loo 900 more
so. 600 in France, with more than SOC. .oo
volunteers in training, enormous num-
Ders of horses are required for the
cavalry, artillery and transport service.
Up TO the present time comparatively
few artillery and wagon horses have been
purchased here, but the large orders
for mules now being executed in the
West indicate that the allies may run
short OF all classes of army horses in
the near future.
IT has been said lately that the aver
age eavalry horse lasts about ten days
in the war zone. Heavier equipment,
greater rapioitv OF movement, rough
usage scant and irregular rations. the
increased power of weapons now in use
and the frequent necessity of sacrificing
mounted troops in covering retreats and
in ether movements of vital impor-
lance to the success or safety of the
main army make the cavalry subject to
appalling wsstage in horses as well as
men under the conditions or modern
warfare.
Shipping sickness and pink eye are
said to be sweeping through the yards
where the war horses purchased for
export are now concentrated. at To-
ronto, Montreal, st. Louis, Kansas CITY,
Baltimore. and other cities.
AS showing the wastage among un-
seasoned horses in war. General Fred
erick Won Bernhard has said that with
in six weeks after the outbreak OF the
Franco-Prussian conflict the greater
part OF the fresh ones taken into the
German cavalry We're useless for field
purposes. And in the more recent South
African war IL was common knowledge
that the British lost far more horses by
sickness than by casualties in the field.
The commanding officer Of the re-
mount commission in Canada is report
ed 20 have sad recently that the horses
engaged In the great war in Europe will
have to be renewed every four months
as long as hostilities continue. This is
an astounding estimate Of the wastage
"Hcn tAlSllflg COUOlllOIS are con-
sidered. il may be not so very wide OF
the mark. especially as to the cavalry
and art liery horses at the front. II il
IS anything Ike accurate il would meaE
The destruction or disabling OF six mil
ion horses a year, as the number in
The field is now estimated at much
more than two million.
As a nucleus of his European mounted
1orce the Car has eighty-three regi-
lnents of cavalry. but. counting all the
tossacks In his empire, he can marshal
almost 100000 men on horseback.
Added to this vast force fighting on the
ride Of the allies, France had at the
outset Of the war ninety-one regiments
Of cavalry. or approximately 800
lorsemen. and IL Is presumed that 4
much larger number are now in the
;leld. Just how many mounted troops
are in the British eXpeditionary force
is not known, but they are believed 20
exceed 5000. Belgium has a few thou
sand and Servia a few thousand more
giving the allies. all told. considerably
more than J. 900 600 mounted troops
The German cavalry comprised 1G2
regiments at the beginning Of the war
regiments. while Turkey has about as
many more. making total of some
thing like %. 900 horsernen on the other
side Of the firing line, and of almost
100000 on both sides. These figures
take n0 account of the horses employed
in the artillery and transport service.
which. together. consume many more
than the cavalry.