HORSES.

HOW OBTAINED, DESCRIPTION, ETC.

Horses are obtained from the Quartermaster Department. Submit requisitions, generally in triplicate, stating the color desired, and whether the horse is for lead-, swing-, or wheel-team.

The artillery-horse must be sound, free from vicious habits, a square trotter, well broken to harness, and must conform as nearly as possible to the following description: A gelding of uniform and hardy color; in good condition; from fifteen to sixteen hands high; weight of the lead-horse not less than 1050 pounds, and that of the wheel-horse not more than 1300 pounds; from four to eight years old; full-chested; shoulders sufficiently broad to support the collar, but not too heavy; full-barrelled, with broad, deep loins; short-coupled, with solid hindquarters; feet sound and in good order. Long-legged, loose-jointed, long-barrelled, and narrow-chested horses, as well as those which are restive, vicious, or too free in harness, are to be rejected.

SELECTING HORSES.

Care must be taken not only that they possess the form and qualities necessary for the work they are likely to be employed in, but also that they are docile and easy-tempered and sound. Form differs according to breed, and upon it depends the fitness of the animal for draught or saddle purposes. For either purpose a horse should walk and trot well. Horses with deeply scarred backs (or, if for harness, shoulders), or which show signs of having been much cut with the girth (girth-galled), should not be selected, if avoidable. If for riding purposes, the withers should be neither too high nor too low, and the shoulders oblique; forearms long and muscular; chest moderately wide and deep; ribs well arched behind saddle and continued close to haunch; loins broad; hindquarters long, wide, and muscular; tail set on as near the level of the croup as possible; limbs from knees and hocks downwards short, wide laterally, with the tendons and ligaments standing well apart from the bone, and distinctly defined. Neither beneath knee nor hock should they be narrow or abruptly tied in; knees wide in front, hocks sideways. Pasterns not too long or oblique, inclined out or in, nor yet too upright; hoofs black, if possible, and circular in shape; wall smooth and even from coronet to ground, and not marked by horizontal rings; heels well spread; soles concave and strong; frogs well developed, sound, and firm. The foot in progression should be placed evenly on the ground, neither toe nor heel coming too markedly in contact with it. Coarse-bred horses, with hairy legs and large, flat feet, should never be chosen. Fore limbs should be examined for broken knees, splints, sprains of tendons and ligaments (indicated by thickening, and, if recent, by tenderness on manipulation), ring-bone (an uneven deposit of bony matter around the lower end of the pastern), side-bone (ossification of the elastic cartilages on each side of the foot toward the heels), sand-crack in hoof (usually in the inside quarter of fore foot), chronic laminitis (manifested by horse putting heels first to the ground, convex soles, walls hollow in the middle in front, bulging at toe, and made uneven by rings on surface), navicular disease (usually shown by contracted heels, very concave soles, lameness, and digging toes in the ground during walk or trot, wearing the shoe more at point of toe than elsewhere, extending limb forward and elevating heels while at rest), corns (a bruise of sole at the heels, only to be discovered by removal of shoe and paring sole at this part).

Hind limbs should he examined for spavin in hock (a bony tumor in front of inside hock, best seen by standing at animal's shoulder and viewing this part of the joint in profile; compare both hocks in this way, and if there is any inequality, and the prominence be hard, it is almost certain to be spavin; lameness or stiffness of the limb is generally present), sprain of tendon inside hock (marked by a swelling inside point of hock), curb (a sprain of ligament at back and below point of hock, seen as a more or less prominent convex swelling on looking at the hock sideways), sprain of back tendons or ligaments (as in fore limb), ring-bone (as in fore limb).

The eyes should be healthy; examine them by moving the finger smartly near the eye, but without touching it, when the animal will wink if it be not blind; for careful examination, inspect the eye in sunlight, then cover with hand for a few seconds to ascertain if the pupil contracts and enlarges; to examine interior of eye, employ a lighted candle in a darkened stable.

Examine head behind ears, withers, back, and shoulders for bruises; nostrils for glanders (if there be any discharge); turn round suddenly and back the horse to discover if there is sprain of back, and if hindquarters are moved firmly and promptly. Inspect skin for mange and ringworm, heels for grease and cracks, and coronets for fistulous wounds.

Have him ridden very rapidly for a couple of hundred yards, stopped suddenly, and then place ear in rear of left shoulder to listen if the heart beats properly, and also near the nostril to hear if his breathing is all right.

If a hollow cough is present, observe motion of abdomen at flank; should this have a double ascending movement or "lift" in expiration, the animal is broken-winded. In galloping, or when suddenly menaced by a blow of a whip, should a grunt or shrill whistling sound be heard in inspiration, the animal should be rejected. If, during rapid motion, a wheezing noise be heard in expiration or inspiration, the horse is unsound.

Before selection is completed the horse should be ridden if for saddle purposes, or driven in harness if for draught.

Every animal will be branded with the letters "U. S." on the left fore shoulder on the day he is received. They are also branded on the left hip with the letter of the battery and the number of the regiment. A complete descriptive list will be made of each animal at the time of purchase, which will accompany him wherever he may be transferred.

Fig. 72.

Fig. 73.

Head.

Neck.

Forequarter.

Body or Middle Piece.

Hindquarter.

POWER OF TEAMS.

If a horse has to work at speed (as in the case of horse-artillery) he can, as a rule, under service conditions, draw about 600 pounds, or carry on his back about 260 pounds, although in some services he is required to do more.

In light field-artillery, where great speed is not expected, this may he increased to about 700 pounds; for heavy field-artillery a further increase may be made.

Metcalfe gives: horse-artillery, 650 pounds; light field-artillery, 700 pounds; heavy field-artillery, 850 pounds; and siege-artillery, 1000 pounds; and the English Handbook contains the following table giving a rough estimate of what teams may be called upon to transport:

Teams of
4 horses.		Teams of
6 horses.		Teams of
8 horses.		Teams of
12 horses.
Cwt.Cwt.Cwt.Cwt.
Horse-artillery batteries20 to 2433 to 36................
Field-batteries26 to 3039 to 4548 to 56........
Batteries of position................705 tons

Fig. 74.

b, breast-strap; c, collar; d, double-tree; s, single-tree; t, trace.

Owing to their interference with each other's motions, the maximum load drawn by teams of horses increases less rapidly than does the number of horses in draught. In horse-artillery teams 6 horses is the greatest number that can be usefully employed; in the heavier field-batteries 8 horses are sometimes used, but not when it can be avoided, as it makes a cumbersome team and a large percentage of the working power of the extra pair is lost.

Bad roads, insufficient food, rapid movement for short times, and forced marches require that the weights behind horses should be kept at a minimum consistent with the service required. The average weights exclusive of cannoneers of all the principal military powers are: horse-artillery—gun-carriage, 634 lbs.; caisson, 727 lbs.;[7] and field-artillery—gun-carriage, 718 lbs.; caisson, 796 lbs.

GAITS FOR ARTILLERY.

The Manœuvring Gallop is at the rate of twelve miles an hour (352 yards in a minute). This gait is used on occasions by horse-artillery, and in great emergencies for very short distances by field-artillery.

The Manœuvring Trot or Trot-out is at the rate of eight miles an hour (235 yards in a minute.)

The Canter is at the same rate, viz., eight miles an hour.

The Slow Trot is at the rate of from six to six and one half miles an hour, and should be used by light artillery for distances of several miles when necessary to move at a faster gait than a walk.

At drills and on road marches it should be considerably employed so that teams may move easily and with unnecessary fatigue when called on to cover long distances rapidly.

The Walk is at the rate of four miles an hour (117 yards in a minute). It is the pace usually employed on the line of march for field-batteries, although they move, as does horse-artillery, at an alternate trot and walk, covering about five miles an hour.

DENTITION.

Age of Horse from One to Nine Years, as Indicated by Teeth (Incisors) in Lower Jaw.—The age of a horse is determined by:

1. The character of the teeth, i.e., whether they be temporary or permanent.

2. The period at which they are cut.

3. The condition of the teeth themselves.

Temporary or milk teeth are distinguished from the permanent teeth by being smaller, whiter, and having more distinct necks. The fangs are small and have little attachment to the gums. The jaws are plump, fleshy, and round, and the teeth are arranged in something like a semicircle. Permanent teeth are larger, broader, wider in the necks and more discolored than milk-teeth. The plumpness and circularity of the jaw is less than in the young colt, and gradually decreases. In old age the teeth are arranged in a nearly straight line.

During the first ten months the six incisors appear. At twelve months the teeth show little signs of wear, the corner teeth are mere shells, having no inner walls, and the teeth are close together.

At two years the corner teeth have grown up to level of others; the centre teeth are worn. The teeth stand wide apart at necks because of growth of jaw.

Shortly before three years old the two centre milk-teeth are shed and replaced by permanent teeth.

Shortly before four years old the next two milk-teeth on either side are shed, and permanent ones appear.

Shortly before five years old the corner milk-teeth are shed, and permanent ones appear, but as shells only, having no internal walls.

At about six years old the inner wall of the corner teeth has grown up level with outer wall.

The tusks appear at about three and one half years, are matured at six, and then begin to wear away. Usually absent in mares.

Between three and five years the marks or cups in the permanent teeth are very plain.

At six the marks are well worn in centre teeth.

At seven the marks disappear from centre teeth, are well worn in the two next, but plain in corner teeth.

At eight the marks have all disappeared, except in corner teeth, in which they are worn.

At nine the marks are usually gone from all the incisor teeth in lower jaw.

The temporary incisors in upper jaw fall out usually a little earlier than those in lower jaw. The permanent incisors in upper jaw are longer and larger than the lower, and the mark is deeper and remains longer than in the lower teeth.

Beyond nine years the teeth become angular and foul, the tusks worn, and the age only to be determined accurately by much experience and observation.

Old horses frequently suffer from uneven and sharp-edged grinders. Their mouths should be occasionally examined, particularly if the animal be off his feed, and, if necessary, the teeth should be rasped off.

SICK HORSES.

The horses on sick report are in charge of the stable sergeant, who reports daily to the captain for instructions as to their treatment.

In garrison the battery officer of the day inspects the sick horses daily, and records in his guard-report book the names of the horses on sick report, and the treatment they receive.

In treating sick horses it is to be observed that very little medicine is ordinarily required, and that unnecessary doses do a great deal of harm.

If a horse sustain an injury, neglect his feed, refuse his water, or give any evidence of sickness, it will be at once reported.

No horse on sick report will be taken from the stable or picket-line for exercise or work without permission from proper authority.

If there be at any time a suspicious discharge from one or both nostrils of an animal, it must be immediately reported.

To prevent contagion to man or beast, an animal that shows any decided symptoms of glanders is to be isolated at once, and confined or tied up in some locality where no other animal can approach him.

A glandered horse should be killed as soon as possible. The stall in which he stood is torn down and all the woodwork burned and the ironwork disinfected, or otherwise it is closed and must remain empty until the rack, manger, and every part of the iron and woodwork, as also the vessels used in watering and feeding, and his saddle and bit, have been three or four times thoroughly washed with a 5 per cent solution of carbolic acid or a 1 to 1000 solution of corrosive sublimate; all parts to which the latter has been applied should be thoroughly scrubbed with hot water to remove all traces of the poisonous salt. The application of a lime wash to all the stalls, after complete disinfection, will be desirable. Small articles, such as bits, etc., can be disinfected by keeping them immersed for a half-hour in boiling water. All articles of little value that have been used with a glandered horse, such as halters, bridles, horse-cloths, saddle-cloths, blankets, nose-bags, currycombs and brushes, etc., should be destroyed.

Stables occupied by infected or suspected horses should be disinfected daily by washing exposed surfaces with a 5 per cent solution of carbolic acid, and nose-bags, halters, buckets used for drinking-water, etc., should be carefully washed with the same solution or with boiling water.