The first test was made under conditions of unusual heat, and after one serious case of heat prostration the homeward run had to be made at night. The riders were veterans to the age of seventy-two, with an average of two old wounds, and more than two war decorations per man. Our cab and 'bus horses finished like the riders, in good time and condition, but did not equal the usual gait of the annual Stock Exchange competition of men afoot on the same London and Brighton road.
SADDLES. We never had the rival types of saddles tested by teams, but each man rode his own, and for short marches like ours the difference was slight. The men with stock saddles were less weary, and their horses fresher, but not to any notable degree.
SEAT. In one test a competitor failed us, and was replaced by a sailor who had not ridden before. At first he butted his horse backwards into shops, so we had to change about for ten miles until we found the best mount for his peculiar needs. After that there remained one hundred miles, and his horse got the best report. A sailor has balance, and given that mere form is not important.
TYPE OF HORSE. We hired 'bus and cab horses because they were cheap; but in one of the competitions were opposed by a group of horsemen riding their private hunters. Our working horses finished fresh and on time, but the pleasure horses broke down and had to come home by train.
Horses at work
I might enter into the details of a dozen other exercises which tested the indoor horse and the English equipment, but all may be summed up in a single broad generalization. The pleasure horse and his equipment are so highly specialized for running and jumping that they have ceased to possess the slightest value for civil and military working horsemanship.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE SOLDIER HORSE.
Regular cavalry