BRITAIN’S CAVALRY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 68, 15 March 1912, Page 2

BRITAIN’S CAVALRY.

TROOPS NOW TAKING MODERN LINES. It is somewhat surprising (says an American exchange) to line! that Great Britain, in spite of the high reputation of .her cross-country riders, has been content, almost up to the present day, to lag behind other nations in the matter of military riding. The reason is perhaps to be found in the tendency of a small army to copy foreign models and in the formalism engendered by the ceremonial parades which, up to quite recent times, play- . edj so large a part in British military training. A striking instance of this conservatism, is the adherence of tho cavalry to the straight-legged seat, which is probably itho worst suited to the needs of the mod,era soldier or to the comfort of his horses. The straight-legged seat,is said by some to have originated in the Middle Ages, with the peaked saddle designed to support the rider against the backward thrust of the lance, and it has no doubt great advantages from the point of view >of balance in the twists and 'turns of hand-to-hand contest. Having once (been universally adopted, it remained in fashion though in a somewhat modified form, long after tourneys and jousts had passed away. y. During the Napoleonic wars the 'cavalry 1 appear to have adopted the hunting, seat with the bent knee, but , the .straight leg came back with the ipiping times of peace. And so the Beerdwat found pur soldiers still riding in''this fashion and humping’in .thou: saddles, though tho hunting seat, which had its birth in England, had'recently boon adopted in Continental armies. The author of “Modern Riding” mentions a. case, just before the Boer war, of men being ordered to have their spur-rests, fitted low in a liigh heel ii\ order to give tho leg a still straightor appearance. But it was not only in the matter of the seat that the British Army showed its conservatism. The study of equitation as a science was.utterly neglected. The array had no lack of practical horsemen or of hold riders, hut tho art of teaching horsemanship was left severely to riding misters, and was practically confined to a wearisome and mechanical round of turns bind* circles, carried out in enclosed riding schools. It was not thought a necessary part of an officer’s duties to instruct his recruits in r'ding or to superintend the breaking in of his remounts. New .System Needed. The inexorable 1 experience of Avar brought home to The army the need of a scientifici 1 system' of horseman--ship. Great efefllit is due to Generals like French, 1 BadendPowell, Allenby, Llochfort, and>others for breaking dAvay 1 from obsoleteitiwlitions and establishing a practical system. The results 'of their efforts is seen in the principles laid doAvn in the 1907 edition of “Cavalry. Training,” the instruc- , . tional. handbook of the cavalry arm.

As regards the seat of the mounted man, there has been a decided change in the direction tof • the hunting seat. Idle regulationseißshed just before the war 'had laid.itidown) that the position the rider, when mounted on a /‘.‘numnah,” should be such that a •'vertical line-i through the shoulder should fp.ll one inch behind the heel; in the new regulations this passage 'has disappeared and it is insisted on that the rider shall sit in snoh a. way that the weight of the body rests on the seat. Nevertheless in the opinion of some authorities the existing ■pattern of saddle, with its high cantle, still tends to throw the body further forward than is desirable. In the matter of instruction the principle has been recognised that the officer is the proper instructor of his men, .and that ho must be not only a practical horseman, but must also possess sufficient theoretical knowledge to enable him to impart his knowledge to those under him. The key note of the modern system of instruction of both men and horses is patience. The unsympathetic methods of the old school, which resulted in cowing so many timid recruits and Winning the months of so many horses, have passed away. Throughout a course of training, which is contimionsly progressive, the appeal is made to thfe intelligence and interest of both the man and the animal, and every care is taken to avoid forcing either to attempt performances for which ho is still unprepared. These points may be best illustrated by a short description of the course of training of men and horses in a cavalry regiment. Early Riding Lessons. For their early lessons recruits are formed in squads of not more than eight. Instruction is given to begin, with in riding on a numnah, in a covered riding school, each recruit being provided with a well-trained horse. The first two or three lessons are devoted to teaching the man to sit evenly in his seat at a walk; without my regard to the position of the body. When tbo recruit has acquired an even seat, he is taught progressively to trot and cantor, to turn and circle bis horse, and to jump over easy obstacles, but still only on the numnah. Riding without reins and balance 'motions form an important part of this stage of the training, great care being directed to prevent the habit of bolding on by the reins. An exercise which is much in favour is to ride the horse down one side and up tho other of a ditch some 18 feet wide and ten feet deep, for no horse will face the further bank of such an obstacle unless bis head is left absolutely free. Not until after six weeks of such exercises is tho recruit allowed to ride in a saddle, and even then stirrups are not added till the same skill has been obtained in the saddle as on the numnah. This first period of the recruit’s to J

distinguish it from the “active riding” of the next stage, which includes the use of the “aids” and the handling of weapons in the saddle. As soon as the elementary stage is passed instruction takes place in the open whenever weather permits. It is found that out of doors exercise tends to develop the intelligence of both men and horses, whereas the monotonous round of the riding school has a contrary effect. On the way to exercise the recruits arc taken over all kinds of ground, and are encouraged to ride about independently, so as to make them feel masters of their horses. Instruction is now given in the “aids,” a term which includes the use of legs, reins and changes of position of the 1 body as signals to file horse; Especial stress is laid on the bending lesson and the “half passage.” Hiding with the , arms is i not practiced until man have acquired a fair decree of proficiency in riding and have ilearn-, cd the exercise with sword, lance or rifle on foot. As a means, of increasing the men’s confidence, mounted games arc encouraged. Among these wrestling on horseback: is perhaps the most popular. During the later Stages of training men who show special aptitude are formed into! squads and are practised at drilling in ranks, scouting, and despatch riding.’ Training of Horses. The training of young horses is carried out on the same gradual and progressive system as that of the men. During the first lesson the horse tis simply led abqut with a snaffle by the breaker to accustom tiie animal to ids voice and manner. He is then led round in a circle with long reins in order to make him handy and prepare him to ooey the indication of rein and leg. Next he is taught to rein back, with the object of getting his hind legs under him. About this stage he is also taught to jump over a low hurdle, at first led .by a single long rein, and afterwards in a free land of jumps of all sorts, so that he may learn to jump freely and naturally. No attempt is made to back the remount till he is, perfectly handy on the long reins and capable of cantering in a collected way to either hand, passaging, reining back, and so on. It is usual before backing a young remount to put him down one or more times. Putting a horse down, not throwing him, has a great moral effect on the animal, and it is found •that one that has been treated in this way , seldom rebels when he is hacked. The usual method is to strap up the horse near foreleg and bond him to the right till he drops on one knee and then to pull him quietly over. After this has been done two or three times the horse is backed, but practice with long reins, especially hi cantering in circles of gradually decreasing size, is still continued for about a fortnight more. When a remount is able to change from one circle to another with long reins ho is considered fit for work in the open, and henceforth the riding school is only used when the weather is too had for open air work. According to the regulations, a remount Is considered perfectly trained when (a) he can do a figure of eight correctly, passage rein hack, halt collectedly and change his logs when turning so as to load with the correct fqrelog and hind leg; (b) is a good jumper over all kinds of obstacles and a safe and comfortable conveyance over every, description of country; (d) is well balanced; (e) is immediately obedient to the con-cot aids; and, finally, when he will go alone or in company at any pace required of him and without pulling. Course for Officers. Ami now a word about the training of the officers. In 1901 authority was given for the founding of a cavalry school at Netheravon, on Salisbury Plain, with the object of teaching officers the best methods of training their men and horses. The course for cavalry subalterns at this school lasts ten months, and an unbroken remount is provided for each officer to break and train.

[ In addition to the .courses for subalterns there are also classes of six weeks’ duration for captains before appointment as squadron commanders, besides courses for officers of royal horse artillery and yeomanry officers, and for non-commissioned officers of the Cavalry. The course at the cavalry school comprises, however, much more than a knowledge of equitation, for it extends to the whole duties of a cavalry officer, and includes reconnaissance and despatch riding, as well as theoretical study of the strategical and tactical employment of cavalry. The teaching on all these subjects is practical and thorough, and though Netheravon may not, as yet, challenge comparison with the world-famed schools of Hanover or Saumur, it has already established its reputation as a centre of scientific instruction in matters relating to the cavalry arm.