Horses - descriptions
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by LinsladeLad
On a number of recent pages I've come across horses being described as "LD".
Does anybody know what this means?
Regards Peter
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by cyngast moderator
I think it means Light Draught. I've seen both that term and Heavy Draught. Presumably they were designated for heavier and lighter loads. But if I'm wrong, anybody who can correct me please jump in here.
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I think you are correct Cynthia, there is also a link on Images for Horses ww1 Ref. Google https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1DSGL_enGB426GB426&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=Horses+ww1+LD
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by ral104 moderator, scientist
Light Draught sounds about right to me, especially given that the majority of horses at the front were pack animals, but hopefully somebody else can confirm.
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Some Images for Light and Heavy Draught Horses ww1 Link:
https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1DSGL_enGB426GB426&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=Light+and+Heavy+Draught+horses+ww1
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by ral104 moderator, scientist
Thanks, Marie. A very nice selection of images there.
I haven't checked for a while, but we must be amassing quite a collection of horses hashtags by now. A very useful resource for anybody wanting to look at the role of horses in more depth, I hope.
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by LinsladeLad
Thanks - that makes it all much simpler.
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by David_Underdown moderator
It was a classification used in civilian life too, light draught horses would have worked with small horse drawn vans and the like, the heavier draught horses with ploughs and other farm work, brewery drays (as still occasionally seen) and so on
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by ral104 moderator, scientist
Ah yes, good point - not all the terms we're coming across are military in origin.
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by Notes
I've recently seen horses described as 'ZR', not certain of the meaning but if a soldier was Z he was demobilised but in reserve, i.e. fit to fight should he be required at short notice. Am guessing that the same applies to any horse that is considered to have completed it's duty - this was a 1919 diary so perhaps some horses were being returned home.
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by ral104 moderator, scientist
That's not a designation I've come across before. I'm at a bit of a loss, I'm afraid! Your interpretation certainly sounds plausible, given the period, although I'm not certain how many horses were actually returned home and how many were sold off locally.
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by cyngast moderator
I've seen entries in several diaries from 1919 where horses were classified into two or three categories. I've never seen an explanation of the categories, but I have guessed that they had something to do with sorting the horses into groups worth the trouble and expense of taking home to England and those that were to be sold locally or destroyed. It seems to me that the categories are usually named by letters from the end of the alphabet.
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Interesting article on following link regarding Horses WW1.
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/03/horses-world-war/
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by cyngast moderator
This page has a key to the classifications for horses after the end of the war: Image AWD00031xv According to this, Z horses were fit to be sold for work on the continent, although it doesn't say anything about ZR specifically.
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by ral104 moderator, scientist
That's really useful - thanks for letting us know.
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