THE FORGOTTEN WAR HORSE
by Catherine Sampson
(originally published in HorseTalk magazine)
The tired eyes of the sentinel sitting atop
his weary warhorse, peer downward in utter fatigue. The long march to Mons in the peeping light
of dawn breaks the forbidding blackness of night. The horse paws impatiently, clawing away at
the pungent ankle deep mud with his hoof that has plague them throughout the
many months. The gnawing creek of the
saddle mixed with the soft snort and jingle of buckles and bits from tossing
equine heads, is the only sound traveling through the still air, rank with
rotting corpses and carcasses. The
noticeable absence of songbirds announcing a new day is an unwelcome sadness in
the deadly silence that reflects war.
Without complaint the courageous strained
army of horses and mules endured the Great War of 1914 to 1918 with little
recognition for their loyalty, toil and suffering. Of the twenty million animal casualties of
this war, everything from dogs to pigeons, it is estimated that more than eight
million horses perished on the battlefields and killing grounds during this
dark period of human history. Their
demise was largely due to the modern invention of the machine gun that cut them
down unmercifully. As an example of this
efficient weapon of destruction, the British lead a cavalry charge against the
Germans who responded with machine gun fire, killing all but four horses out of
150 bold chargers. Exploding rounds of mortars, maiming barbed wire,
starvation, mange, and parasite infestation, were all contributing factors of
injury and death. Exhaustion and disease
such as the still incurable Grass Sickness which largely affected the
predominately Clydesdale breed in Scotland with bouts of colic, difficulty
swallowing, rapid weight loss and steaming mucus, claimed many victims.
Great numbers of horses crossed the ocean
to join the war effort. As much as
one-third of some seafaring horses died of colic and pneumonia while on route
to Britain and Europe. Medical
intervention was a primary concern with these large shipments of horses. Round-the-clock checking of vitals with
emphasis on body temperature, helped keep everyone involved with their care,
abreast of pending health complaints.
Three weeks on a transport ship with many horses and mules housed in
stalls below deck was indeed stressful for both caretaker and equine. The stench alone must have been unbearable as
ammonia levels reached peak volumes, contaminating the already stale and vile
air.
Canada, Mexico and the United States
supplied thousands of remounts for pack, saddle and draft. An example of the terrible loss of these
exported horses was the additional 182,000 horses sent to the battle lines by
the American Expeditionary Force. Sixty
thousand were killed and a mere 200 horses crossed back over the Atlantic at
the end of the war. The war had
seriously depleted all horse stocks around the world, claiming some of the
finest horseflesh of its time.
Generations of “blue blood” stock would be lost.
To add insult to injury, unwanted warhorses
were auctioned off at rock-bottom prices and many sold to French butchers or
ended up as pet food. In Australia, a
riding horse reaching the ‘cast’ age (selected for disposal), of 12 years was
destined for destruction, while gun wagon horses were cast at age 15. Today, these horses would be considered in
their prime, but the terrible conditions and rudimentary veterinary care by
today’s standards, aged these horses much before their time.
Still the heroes of these braved equines,
was the Veterinary Corps and those who truly loved and learned to care for
their mounts. The veterinarian played an
immense important role in the survival rate of horses and mules. Seventy-eight percent returned to active duty
thanks to the dedicated Veterinary Corp who treated them. Two and a half million horses were treated in
veterinary hospitals on the Western Front alone, approximately two million
recovering sufficiently to return to useful duty. In one year alone, the British veterinary hospitals
cared for 120,000 horses treating a malady of wounds and diseases. An important vehicle for transport was the
motorized horse ambulance. It
transported many injured horses to safety and critical treatment.
At the Ontario Veterinary College in
Guelph, Ontario, a memorial cross hangs on the south wall of the MacNabb room,
honouring the OVC graduates who died in the line of duty, serving their country
and the many horses that were their patients during the war.
Conditions in the field were
deplorable. Mother nature was
unkind. Stinking sucking mud sapped the
strength of many a gun-carrier horse. A
catch-22 problem arose when, with the best interested of the horse in
controlling mange and other fungal skin problems, horses were clipped of their
winter hair. Many of them succumbed to
exposure that first winter. A decision
to clip only the limbs of the horse was wisely adopted after this mistaken
directive was halted.
Horses engaged in warfare were
shell-shocked and virtual wrecks. The
thunder of artillery and exploding bombs and air rife with machine gun fire,
terrorized both man and beast. Still the
horses carried on with valour, answering the urgent call of the infantry.
Episodes of frank humour were rare. A baptismal into equine care and custody was
at the ready for many soldiers unaccustomed to horses and more in tune with
city life. Such was the lesson of a
young transport officer complaining to his commanding officer about the quality
of oats his horse was receiving. “What’s
the matter with the oats?” inquired the Captain. “Well sir, they are so small that they get
into the horses’ teeth,” replied the transport officer. The commanding officer replied, “Ah, well
that’s bad, very bad. Perhaps you’d
better indent on DAADS (Deputy Assistant Director of Ordinance Supply) for some
toothpicks!” The transport officer soon
developed a keen interest in horsemanship and was later awarded the Military
Cross.
Loss of a horse became for many a very
personal part of their identity. The
horses were literally an extension of themselves. When a horse lay wounded or died, the
grieving process would have to wait. It
seemed so unfair to abandon a faithful comrade in choice of life and duty.
Dietary needs of the horse, was often a
challenge and in some campaigns, horse went without food or water for sixty
hours while carrying a load of close to 127 kilograms. A normal feeding regiment went as
follows: nosebags on with 2.5 lbs. of
chaff at 6 a.m., water at 7 a.m. and feed with 4 lbs. of oats with a handful of
chaff, water at 11:30 a.m., feed at noon, water at 4:30 p.m. and feed hay at 7
p.m. On average, light draft horses
received 12 lbs. of oats and 10 lbs. of hay daily with a bran mash added to the
diet once per week. This would have been
an ideal routine, but as so often in war, schedules are interrupted. You made due with what you had and made time
for feeding wherever possible.
Desperately needed supply lines might not make it through enemy lines or
become delayed with the mire and muck.
Starvation was a real and viable threat.
The horse furniture was minimal for the
mounted infantry. It comprised of a
simple brown leather headstall, bridle, saddle and reins. Other crude appointments included spare horseshoes,
picketing rope, surcingle strap and pad, brush, feedbag and corn bag. Two brown leather wallets for personal items
were carried on either side of the pommel accompanied by spare boots and a tent
made of heavy canvass. The ‘British
Warm’ coat was strapped to the back of the cantle. An additional thirty rounds of ammunition
decorated the horse’s neck in the form of a bandoleer. The riffle and sword rounded out the troops
weapons.
At the end of the war, a few horses were
remembered and recognized for their contributions and those of their species
who struggled and died so that we would retain the freedom we enjoy today. Special notations were made for Sandy, the
only horse to come home to Australia after active service in WW1. The 16-hand chestnut would later return to
Australia at the request of his late owner, Major-General Sir William Throsby
Bridges were he would live out his remaining days.
David was another honouree. After having served and survived the South
African war, he returned to active duty in WW1 as a wheeler in the battle at
Mons and others. His long service would
have compared equally with his human counterpart being awarded both the Queen
and Kings’ medals, 1914 Star medal, and the British and Victory medal. He also fulfilled all of the requirements entitling
him to the Long Service and Conduct medal.
Finally, an excerpt from a poem by F.B.
Adler titled Thirty Years Later, sums up his respect and longing for the
warhorse of yesterday as he writes,
“Yes, You’ve learned “the ways of the dead
machine that is groomed with oily rags;
You know no more the pride we felt atop our
well groomed nags.”
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