REMOUNT BREEDING

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 136, 6 December 1939, Page 15

REMOUNT BREEDING

JAPANESE ACTIVITIES

Japan is one country' that does not believe the mechanisation of armies has done away with the^sefulness of the horse in. warfare. A little while back : the Tokio "Gazette," which is, an official Japanese journal, commented as follows: —■ • • " ' "Many things hitherto unnoticed even by the thinking public have been brought to light, frequently with new emphasis and implications, through experiences undergone on the China and home fronts in connection with the present conflict The usefulness of the horse in modern warfare is one of the discoveries. In reality, without the services of this dumb, faithful animal, Japanese troops' would not have been able to carry out successful daring attacks upon enemy positions, particularly in battles on the rugged steeps I and in the narrow passes of the [Chinese mountains. Contrary to popular expectations, the increasing mechanisation of the army has by no means diminished the utility of army horses. The present -hostilities have certainly established, their distinctplace in modern warfare." It was added that the Japanese Gov-' eminent was taking steps towards the production of military horses on a large scale and. proposed to use 7500 stallions for remount service by 1945. ■ It sounds a remarkable number and > may give Australia and New Zealand an opportunity of disposing of many stallions not; required for racehorse breeding, and., especially in view of many expert opinions \ regarding the suitability of racing and trotting sires for remount production.,