Horses of the Great War

A couple of years ago I attended a talk which was a joint venture between the Warwickshire County Committee of the British Horse Society and the Warwickshire Hunt Branch of the Pony Club.  I had forgotten that I had never posted about this talk.  

The talk still seems appropriate given that it is 100 years since the end of the Great War, and was partly about a group who recreated the British Cavalry's retreat through France in August 1914 - 'The War Horse Ride'.  However, it was also about the horses in the Great War.

We are all aware of the horrific loss of human lives between 1914 and 1918 and learn about the Somme and Ypres at school, about the trenches and the barbed wire and the football game played on Christmas Day.  However, the contribution that horses made to the war and the huge loss equine lives is rarely mentioned.  I have to admit that I have not read or seen 'War Horse' I think that I would find it too upsetting.

In August 1914 the British Army had around 25,000 horses.  At the time the cavalry was still seen as the best and one of the most senior elements of the army.  So within the first 12 days of mobilisation a further 140,000 horses were acquired , most of these horses were in effect 'seized' from their owners to serve.  Hunters, carriage and draught horses were all taken.  These horses were used not just in the cavalry but to draw artillery, ambulances and supply wagons.  They were also used for carrying messages.  The horses coped with the mud and terrain much better than any vehicle could.  Military vehicles were prone to problems, horses and mules needed much less upkeep and were much more reliable.

Mons was the first 'military conflict' which Great Britain was involved in.  Both sides used cavalry but this was nearly the last cavalry charge seen, machine guns, trenches and barbed wire meant they were impossible.  Early in 1918 the British used another cavalry charge, of the 150 horses used only 4 survived, the others were killed by machine guns.

The Battle of Mons was where the British tried to stop the German Army.  However, they were outnumbered and had to retreat - this is the retreat which was recreated to honour the men and horses. 

Cavalry horses were typically around 15hh to 15.2hh - other than those of the Household Cavalry which were traditionally 16hh or more.  With a rider and his equipment (weapons, ammunition, blankets for horse and rider, greatcoat, spare horseshoes, picketing gear and rations and fodder) the total weight carried by a cavalry horse could be more than 400 lbs!

Clydesdales were popular for hauling the guns and Cleveland Bays as a breed were nearly lost during the war.

The number of horses that were used and that lost their lives on all sides during the war is staggering.  To ensure there were enough horses Britain imported from the US, Canada, Australia and Argentina.   Of the almost 1.2 million horses provided by the US only 200 went home.

Only around a quarter of the horses lost their lives due to battle injuries.  Most died from exhaustion and disease.  Mange was a problem, equine flu, ringworm and anthrax.  Poison gas affected the horses respiratory systems - although horses had their own gas masks (many horses destroyed their gas masks thinking they were nosebags).   For every 2 British men who died, 1 horse died.  

Feeding the horses was a huge challenge and feed prices increased as the war wore on and shortages began.  Many horses died of starvation although the British horses had more feed than the French, Italian or German.  The British cavalry took the welfare of their horses very seriously. Every cavalryman was trained to look to the needs of his horse before his own and few had anything other than great affection, as one wrote at the time, for “his long faced chum”. 

The horses were a great source of morale to the army and were depended on for supply of all its needs. The affection felt by the soldiers who rode and cared for their horses was total.

The 'War Horse Ride' raised funds for the Not Forgotten Association, which is a national charity that provides entertainment, leisure and recreation for the serving wounded, injured or sick and for ex-service men and women with disabilities.  

The War Horse Ride 2014 was conceived and developed by a small group of former cavalry officers who set out early in 2013 to create an event that would be a fitting tribute to the men and horses of all the armies of 1914 and in particular to those of the Cavalry Division of the British Expeditionary Force.

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Until next time!   

Jo