What horse for the cavalry? / by Spencer Borden.

  • Borden, Spencer
Date:
1912
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: What horse for the cavalry? / by Spencer Borden. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The army of the United States has in times of peace from 22,000 to 25,000 horses, requiring an annual purchase of about 2,600 to keep up its efficiency. There is no system in our own country to provide for this supply, and the Quartermaster General finds difficulty in securing even that small number, of suitable quality, and at reasonable price. It has, therefore, come to be very important to know how a supply of horses for our army can best be insured. The change of street car lines from horse drawn to electrically driven, has destroyed the market for cheap horses. The breeding of those of better class has been diminished by the wholesale substitution of automobiles for pleasure driving. Horses never were so high in the United States as they are to-day, by the inevitable work- ing of the law of supply and demand. Two questions, therefore, present themselves. First: Shall the Government of the United States encourage the breeding of horses suitable for the army, even making a beginning of breeding for its own needs? Secondly: It an enterprise of this kind is started, what type of horses shall be bred? For many years the writer has been interested in horses, has studied them, and bred them in a modest way. For a third of a century he has judged horses from Maine and Vermont to Georgia, from Boston and Madison Square Garden to the Missouri river. Thousands of horses have passed before him for criticism and award in that time. It was natural, therefore, that when taking a vacation in Europe during the summer of 1911, he should visit some of the important studs, both private and Governmental, seek- ing to find out what is being done by other nations towards producing horses for the different armies, and to know the types most desired. The investigation was too short to cover all the ground, though it is hoped the reader of his experiences may find some information lias been gathered.
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