HORSES FOR INDIA

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21295, 23 September 1932, Page 6

HORSES FOR INDIA

AUSTRALIAN REMOUNT^ 1 DECREASED DEMAND STILL A GOOD MARKET ' [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT] JH SYDNEY, Sept. fiSl It is a far cry from the big statical in eutback Australia to the hills and'] plains of India, where Australian re.- j mounts have been popular for more than g half a century. But at regular interval*;;f| Indian buyers may be seen sitting on the rail fences of the station yards scaa- f ning with a knowing eye the unbroken" horses that have been specially selected for shipment overseas. These remounts; are of various types, including heavy ammals suitable for the artillery, and ig past yeafs they have represented a thriv|| ing export trade Although the demand | for horses has fallen off, the industry 2 jitill has its busy seasons. At present there is a steamer in Australian ports that is being fitted up to convey 800 horses to India. .. <§l The fitting up of a horse boat is big task, for each horse has to be comfortably housed in his own stall and arrangements have to be made for forage, water, grooming and veterinary services. The Australian horse is famous overseas! and particularly in India. In India they have been used by the military forces and the mounted police for more thaiig 60 years, during the whole of which time there have been regular shipments. The demand for horses has fallen offg with the introduction of mechanised trans... port, but there is still a big market for horses, and Australia does its best to satisfy it, foi the trade is distinctly profitable. It is a seasonable trade, and ship rnents from the Commonwealth take plact between August and the end of the year. The animals, therefore, arrive in India when the weather is cooler and the monsoon rains are over A groom is provided for each batch ot £0 horses shipped, and throughout the voyage the grooms are very busy men. The horses have to stand throughout thelong voyage, but they are underslung, so that they can get some rest. On arrival at Calcutta the horses are rapidly disembarked, and there examined by the remount officers. Few are rejected, for the buyers know their business well. Sir Henry Chauvel, an authority od Australian * remounts, has repeatedly directed attention to the dwindling supply of Australian remounts. Now the supply is not equal to the demand, even though the demand is not so great as it used to be. In some quarters, too, it is feared that there has been a falling off in quality. This is a pity, for an Australian remount has always been looked upon is the best in the world for army purposes. The loss of the export trade would mean the loss of something like a-quarter of a million pounds annually—plus exchange.