Forums at The Military Horse

Could there be an element of quid pro quo, in that the horse expects something before he provides his services for the day?

IMO, no. Such would take us into the dangerous realm of anthropomorphism. :)

Habit is very powerful in the horse. This is one reason they are so useful. It's also why ...

Horses are very much creatures of habit. They quickly associate circumstances with both pleasure and pain. This is one reason we can teach them to jump through rings of fire or they teach themselves to anticipate pain. Or for humans to inadvertently teach horses bad habits.

During peacetime there ...

Levis for a time in the late '80s made the 557 jeans that were similar to the Wranglers in cut. The seemed a bit more roomy in the crotch and had the flat seam on the inside of the leg. I preferred them to the Wranglers. They quit making them some time in the early 90's. I've worn Wranglers (the ...

Found this:

http://www.gentlemansgazette.com/jodhpu ... re-to-buy/

I found other articles but this was one of the better ones!

The "flair" is likely caused by the lack of elasticized fabric at the time they were developed. That is one relatively easy way of putting "give" in part of the garment.

The tight lower leg allows the wearer to easily put on half chaps or puttees when preparing to mount a horse.

That's my story ...

Maybe the State stepped in for Guard/Militia units? They would have had the authority to do so but they might not have gotten reimbursed by the Feds for such expenditures. Still, given the way things were from the end of the ACW to WWI I'd not be surprised if that happened.

Thank you for the references. They seem to answer the question quite well!

As to type of horse, I seem to recall rules that mandated that the horse selected had to meet the general specifications for service horses. I don't know about mares, but Col. Tompkins rode an Arabian stallion during the ...

Officers were required to purchase their own equipment but could buy it, at cost, from the Ordnance Department. He was able to take it all home because it was his property.

Was this a "requirement" or was this an option ? If a requirement do you have a cite to a regulation or was this a "custom ...

A quick search turned up nothing on Western Union leasing horses.

In those days horses were used as we use cars, trucks, etc. That a company as big as Western Union had a sizable number of horses would not be a surprise. That a manager, or managers, would have "leased" horses to a set of rich ...

I'm sorry, I thought the question was about the saddle in the newly linked in photograph. We can't a very good look at it, but to the extent we can, I think it's a McClellan.

Sorry about the confusion! :)

I concur with your observation. The saddle bags are "impressive."

If you Google ...

What kind of saddle is she riding?

Is is a McClellan?

I'd guess yes.

We really can't see much and the Mac has a relatively small "footprint." The hooded stirrups would be consistent. The saddlebags are ill defined but the general shape appears to be consistent with the Mac's bags. If the ...

Thank you!!!

Couvi wrote:Somewhere in war-torn Europe a Yeti is freezing!

With all due respect to Brian I think we've just learned why Yeti's went extinct in Europe!!!

Your best bet is to Google "Phillips Officers Saddle" and see what you get. I just did and didn't find much. Last one I looked at, personally, the asking was $650 for a saddle only in good condition.

If you've got what you describe in a good condition then it should have significant value. Just how ...

Thank you for the thoughts.

Found this. Interesting.

http://www.doversaddlery.com/images/art ... erview.pdf

I agree indains playing polo would have been funny and very danger, but I wonder how playing polo affected some of the other skills of the cavalry like long marches?

I don't see how it would have hurt (assuming no injuries to horse or rider) but I don't see it as much of a help. It might help ...

Interesting photos. The shirts, breeches, ties, puttees, and shoes look pretty much like other WWI era uniform gear I've seen. The coats, however, look unique.

They seem to be a long, "frock coat." At first my wife thought it was a short jacket being worn with a "split skirt." Closer examination ...

I believe it was a reference to height and weight and was understood as such. There were plenty of illiterates in the army, so it doesn't apply to education. We just see it differently... and that is more a reflection on our sensitivities than theirs. We EXPECT to see language that dances around ...

On our trip to Brazil in 2003 I bought a "trail saddle" that was quite similar to this with one major difference: it had a "western" seat vice an "English" seat.

I'd post a photo but sold that saddle about 8 years ago. :problem:

Without putting hands on it I might be wrong but it has the "look ...