THE HORSE IN WAR

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 19 May 1928, Page 11

THE HORSE IN WAR

COMMENTING on the decision to convert , the 11th Hussars to an armoured car unit, a writer in the ‘ ‘ Sydney Morning Herald ’ ’ says:— “In time, as the mechanisation, of the British army becomes complete, we may look upon the cavalry horse only as a relic of the past. Possibly .the Household Cavalry alone will retain their mounts, for ceremonial purposes. Horses lend grace and dignity to any stately progress, and since they have also an honourable and useful history in the age-long story of war, it might be of interest to look back at the record of their past. “It is generally supposed that horsemen fighting as cavalry, and riding on horseback, came into use about 120 years after the Trojan War; but this is only approximate conjecture. It seems clear, however, that the fable of the Centaurs was originated by the Greeks having seen or- heard of horsemen, whom they niistook for single animals. These horsemen were possibly the ’ Scythians, who .-did not Use chariots at all, and were probably the earliest cavalry nation. Cyrus the Great was the ori- . ginator, or founder, of Persian' cavalry _ (if Xenophon is to be believed), and after his time cavalry became the most important part of the Persian armies, and when Xerxes invaded Greece (480 8.C.), he had cavalry with him, as well as camels and chariots. Greek cavalry seems to have been a later development. No cavalry was used on the side of the Greeks at Thermopylae. But in the reigns of Philip and Alexander, when the military power of Greece reached its zenith, the complete organisation of the Greek army—cavalry, artillery, etc.—was not much less elaborate than the pre-war standard of a first-class European nation. The Greeks used neither saddles nor stirrups, and their horses were not shod. In his “Treatise on Horsemanship” Xenophon gives an elaborate description of the method of mounting in use at. that time, and it seems that even then the horse was mounted from the near side. Apparently two methods were in use. The first by simply vaulting from the ground, with the hands resting on the withers, and the second with the assistance of the spear, in which there was a loopshaped attachment for the purpose. The horsemen were taught to sit well upright upon their thighs, and the reins were held in the left hand. Xenophon advises cavalry in drilling to ride out into the country, and to gallop their horses over ground of all sorts; in which injunction he was faithfully followed by General Seidlitz (the best cavalry general in the army of Frederick the Great), who used to exercise his regiment in this way. Seidlitz used to take his troops over rough ground so violently that Frederick once found . fault with him on account of the number of casualties- To which the General eooly responded, ‘lf you make such a fuss about a few broken necks, sir, you will never have the hold horsemen you require in the field.’ “In the Roman army, the social class from which cavalry were drawn, was the highest both in rank and wealth in the community. The Roman Knights had many exclusive privileges, and soon became a distinct order in the State. And, indeed, the active part which IttIMIIIIHtIiaiIIIIIIIIIMIMIIIMIHIHHIHHHIMIIM HillIMIMIIMIIMIMlimilllMIIIIMIII!IIIIIIIIIIIH III

DOWN THROUGH THE AGES

VALUE OF CAVALRY

the Knights took in suppressing the conspiracy of (Jataline increased the power and influence of the equestrian order to such an extent . that Pliny says that from that time it became a third body in the State. And to the title of “Senatus Poplusque Romanus” there began to be added ‘et Equestris Ordo.’ They were distinguished by gearing a gold ring peculiar to their order, with a distinctive badge. The Romans, also, did not use either saddles or stirrups, but had a pad, or covering, upon which they sat. ‘ ‘ The most interesting development, in which the horse played no inconsiderable part, came to pass about the middle of the Kth century, when there arose in Europe the order of Chivali*y. Every member of the order of Chivalry was, beyond everything else, a cavalier, and his title to his rank was based primarily upon his reputation as a cavalry soldier. The ceremonial investiture of knighthood was but a small part of the institution of Chivalry. The guiding principles of the order were the spirit of high honour contained in its rules, the courtesy shown to all, the charity to the oppressed, and the abstract love of justice. If the horse never conferred any other boon,upon mankind, it 'Would at least be remembered in that, through the institution of Chivalry—tone was given to the morals of the people, and its beneficial results humanised mankind. It has left its mark even in social precedence that still lingers with us to-day (though in a very modified form). Chivarly reached the zenith of its gloi*y at the period of the Crusades, and in the long roll of gallant soldiers connected with it there is no name more distinguished than that of Richard Couer de Lion. ‘ ‘ The cavalry service, from the earliest period when the horse was used simply to convey the chief warrior to the battlefield, has been marked by certain peculiarities which have distinguished it from other arms. The speed of the horse, and the impetuous spirit that the habit of constant riding seems to impart to the horseman, have always distinguished cavalrymen by conferring upon them a dashing and chivalrous temperament. But the chief value of cavalry was in outpost and detached service, on account of their mobility and speed. The light horses of the Greeks, the Persians, and the Romans were all of service in outpost duty, as have been all good light cavalry in every age—from the time when the Assyrian Charioteers began to mount their chariot horses down to the time when Prussian Uhlans rode through Belgium. The discovery of firearms and the use of pikes gave the infantry so great an advantage that the horseman had to take measures to apply to their own service the weapons that were *so deadly in the bands of their enemy. But no adjustment can be made in face of the mechanical opponents that seem likely to confront, troops in the next war.

“ But they will pass with some regret- , The eontaet of man and horse was a humanising influence, even in war. One cannot work up much natural affection for a tank. Cavalry were dependent always on the condition of their horses, so a cavalryman’s first pride and duty was his horse.”