Royal Army Medical Corps training, 1908 / War Office.

Date:
1908
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Royal Army Medical Corps training, 1908 / War Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    In the case of mounted men, if-no bearers. are near, a wounded man can be taken out of action by a comrade who places him on his horse. If only slightly wounded and he can sit in the saddle the comrade should sit behind; if badly hit, he should place the wounded man infront of him, with his face to the horse’s tail and hold him in his arms, the wounded’ man able to assist, holding on to the cantle of the saddle with both hands; or he might be laid across the saddle face downwards, and supporting himself with one foot in a lengthened stirrup, could be led by a comrade. To carry an insensible man on a horse, place the man astride over the horse’s withers, his head facing the horse’s tail, if possible make a pad with horse blanket on the saddle, cross the stirrup leathers over the man’s back, and secure by the head rope to the stirrup irons from the off to the near side under the horse’s belly. His legs would naturally hang clear of the horse’s shoulders, and in this way he could be led or galloped out of action. The occasion might arise in savage warfare when a dead man has to be brought away on a horse. He could be securely tied on as follows :—Lay him on the ground face downwards. Get two head ropes, tie one round his body below his shoulders, stretch both arms out, and with the same rope tie his wrists together leaving the tail of the rope free. Tie the second rope round his waist and continue it round his ankles with a tail free. ‘Cross the stirrups over the saddle of the horse, lift him on, face downwards, head to the offside. Pass the tail of the rope from the wrists under the horse’s belly, and fasten to the stirrup which hangs over the near side, similarly pass the second rope under the belly and fasten to the stirrup on the off side, the horse can then be galloped out of action. It is of the greatest importance in all field work to know how to tie up a horse so that he cannot move from the spot, or to tie two horses together. The whole of the personnel of a Cavalry Field Ambulance should certainly possess this knowledge. This can easily be done as follows :—Pass the bit rein under the surcingle or girth on the near side of the horse, taking care to bring his head round quietly, without jerking, so as to shorten the rein ; then pass the stirrup iron and leather through the loop thus formed and draw taut. Another method is to unbuckle the near stirrup leather and pass one end of it through the ring of the bridoon on the near side and rebuckle. At the same time the stirrup iron should be run up to the flap of the saddle. C. To CourpLet two HoRSES TOGETHER. 46. Horses can be securely coupled by turning the head to tail, and tying each with the bridoon rein to the off-back strap or arch of the saddle of the other taking care that the reins when tied are not more than 6 to 8 inches long.