Wow, 55,000 animals in three months! And to think the British Remount people were active in the same period.Couvi wrote:Enclosed is some interesting information on the Punitive Expedition from War Department Annual Reports in Three Volumes, pp 318-23, Washington, GPO, 1918. The entire book is filled with interesting tidbits from this campaign.
REMOUNT SERVICE.
For the Mexican border service a total of about 55,000 animals were purchased in a period of about three months. Only a few National Guard organizations reached the border with any animals. The purchasing officers for public animals of the Quartermaster Corps at Kansas City and about 20 officers of the mounted service from the Southern Department were charged with the work of buying animals. It was necessary to get the animals quickly.
The light horses suitable for Cavalry are rapidly decreasing in numbers, for the reason that it is more advantageous for the farmer to breed a heavier horse which commands a better price and is more useful for farm work. {Emphasis mine. LTC}
http://books.google.com/books?id=7cNMAA ... &q&f=false
Interesting comment of what farmers were breeding at the time. This reflects the concerns noted by Derry in her book noting British concerns in the same period, regarding horses in North America.