Rdg Horse
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I suppose this is a riding horse?
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by
cyngast
moderator
Yes, I think so. It's the only thing that makes sense here.
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by
David_Underdown
moderator
Yes, a riding horse, as opposed to a light or heavy draught horse, used for moving wagons or guns.
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On another page I read that the senior chaplain had 3 riding horses. How many horses an officer normally had?
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David_Underdown
moderator
It depends on the officer and their role. A senior chaplain was probably actually covering quite a lot of ground, visiting the subordinate chaplains attached to medical units and brigades in his area, and perhaps also visiting his superior. A cavalry officer would probably have at least a couple, even subalterns, but in the infantry I think it was only majors and lt-cols who had their own, the battalion would probably have had a couple of riding horses (often referred to as hacks I think) that more junior officers could use as required.
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Lots of Information and photographs relating to horses in ww1.
When the First World War broke out in 1914, the Army had only 25,000 horses at its disposal. By the end of the conflict, it had purchased over 460,000 horses and mules from across Britain and Ireland, and even more from overseas. In the first few weeks of the conflict, the Army requisitioned around 120,000 horses from the civilian population. Owners who could not prove that their horses were needed for essential transport or agricultural duties had to surrender them.
The Remount Department also looked for help overseas, spending over £36 million (about £1.5 billion in today’s money) buying animals around the world, especially from America and Canada. More than 600,000 horses and mules were shipped from North America. Travelling by sea was as dangerous for horses as it was for humans. Thousands of animals were lost, mainly from disease, shipwreck and injury caused by rolling vessels. In 1917, more than 94,000 horses were sent from North America to Europe and 3,300 were lost at sea. Around 2,700 of these horses died when submarines and other warships sank their vessels.
Of the horses who died during the First World War, 75 per cent perished as a result of disease or exhaustion. Even so, between 1914 and 1918, the Army treated its animals with greater care than ever before. Around 80 per cent of those treated by the Army Veterinary Corps were successfully returned to the front line.
Link: https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/british-army-horses-during-first-world-war
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