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This picture of ''An Ideal Cavalry Horse'' was published in the 1921 edition of ''The Rasp.'' I am no expert on officer's saddles but the saddle bag and pommel pouch don't appear to match those illustrated by Steffen for the Model 1917 Officer's saddle. As an aside, ''Happy,''the ideal cavalry horse...

The advertisement is indeed tantalizingly vague. I could find no other examples in other issues of "The Rasp." It does, however, demonstrate that there was some connection between Marquis, Saddler and the U.S. Army at this date. Also the advertisement says that something (presumably saddle...

I found the following ad this evening in the 1922 edition of the Cavalry School Annual ''The Rasp'':

Here is a recent ebay auction of a French-American mix of tack. I would not be surprised if the saddle wasn't French too. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2135155526 Something to keep in mind is that at the time of WWI most officer's saddles were used by branches other than cav...

On the same theme of physical fitness and riding, I found this in "A History of the 104th Cavalry Pennsylvania National Guard, 1861-1925": "‘Horseback riding is perhaps of all others the most manly and efficient form of exercise.' William Muldoon made the foregoing statement. He is th...

I found the following in the 1908 Annual Report of the Mounted Service School (Ft. Riley): "Regimental commanders should bear in mind: First, that this school is no place for novices. The whole class has been retarded this year by the presence of officers who had no experience whatever with hor...

That wide tie with some kind of pin is very unique. I wonder if it was colored (maybe red like members of Custer's CW cavalry).

In general, I agree with the points Pat has made. I do feel, however, that he has missed the main point of the movie. It starts with a charge on the Bonus Marchers (WWI veterans) by horse cavalry. Some members of the troop feel that this is an improper way to treat fellow army veterans and refuse to...

From "Currahee!": "Then came a real shock. Horse-mounted cavalry charged in, and after bitter fighting the town was again in enemy hands. We found out from a few prisoners taken in the withdrawal that the horse cavalry was made up of White Russians who had sided with the Germans."...

Sam: I have seen some photos but do not have any. A while back Pat and I tried to track down references to American use of horses at Normandy with only limited success. The best descriptions are in "Currahee!...a Screaming Eagle at Normandy," by Donald R. Burgett (A Co. 506). He describes ...

http://www.militaryhorse.org/gallery/Normandy.jpg' From the July-Aug. 1944 ''Cavalry Journal:'' ''A German Cavalry horse captured in Normandy is immediately utilized by American Rangers. Undisclosed numbers of German cavalrymen and mounts were surprised by the sudden descent of paratroops. Germany ...

Here are some paintings by Howard E. Smith, dated 1942, of another horse-mechanized unit (107 Cav--Ohio Nat'l Guard):

<img src=''http://www.militaryhorse.org/gallery/107horse-mech1.jpg'' border=0>
<img src=''http://www.militaryhorse.org/gallery/107horse-mech2.jpg'' border=0>

I have just finished reading "Recon Scout" by Fred H. Salter. It is very good autobiography of a young boy's experiences in WWII. He left his small rural PA town (now well within suburban Phila) to join the horse cavalry. The section on his experiences at Ft. Riley in 1942 is short but int...

In the Army Service Forces Catalog QM 6, Jan 31, 1944 Spare Parts, Harness, Artillery, M-1916, Battery Set were offered in either Black or Russet...

I wonder if the black set was for funeral caisson duty.

"Inasmuch as it is not possible, during the tanning process, to stuff russet leather with oils to the extent possible with black leather, it might be further stated here that russet leather equipment will need more frequent oiling and better general care than black leather. (From this fact migh...

I was asked to give this detailed information on the between the wars cavalry books I previously mentioned: "Top Kick U.S. Army Horse," Helen Orr Watson, Illustrations by Bernard Garbutt, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston 1942 "Cavalryman, A novel of peace-time army life with background of...

Three fiction books which give a good feeling for the last days of the horse cavalry are: "Top Kick, U.S. Army Horse," by Helen Watson. This follows the career of a horse from an Army Remount Depot to Ft. Riley and ultimately in the fighting withdrawal to Bataan in the Phillippines. The au...

That is one of my favorite fictional cavalry movies too. The movie was intended to be an allegory of how badly veterans are often treated. This is a common theme in other Australian films (which this is). The actual story has no basis in fact. In truth, the horse cavalry continued for a number of ye...

I did a little research into this last night and the results were rather surprising. The earliest picture I could find of U.S. Cavalrymen using the new position was in the 1923 "Rasp." The 1922 edition shows students using the earlier version. According to "The Caprilli Papers, Princi...

"Experience has shown that for descending very steep slopes a position of the rider's body nearly parallel to the horse's neck is easier for both horse and rider, and safer. Since adopting this method, very few students have suffered strained muscles from work on slides." (Appendix "F...