HORSES IN BATTLE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 140, 8 March 1919, Page 13

HORSES IN BATTLE

INCIDENTS FROM THE GREAT WAR MOVING STORIES OF GALLANT STEEDS It lias been estimated that nearly 5,000,000 horses huvo taken part in the great conflict in one way or another, ami eqnino casualties were often as high as 50,000 in a month. In the "Wiilc World Magazine," Mr. C. W. Forward,. nn enthusiastic worker in the Bine Cross hospitals of France and Italy, tells what lie has seen of the work and sufferings of our "faithful, innocent, and indispensable allies, horses and mules." Ho says: "A driver in the TCoval Field Artillery who had been driving his horses for three years, and declared that he 'understood thenj and they understood him,' related j to.me the following incident: Early in the retreat from Mons a shell crashed right into the midst of the section with which he was moving. His gun was wrecked and the .driver in front was blown to bits. As ho mounted a fresh horse' lie . turned and saw his two other horses struggling and kicking on the ground to free themselves, but was unable to go back and help them. His feelings were, he declares, indescribable. A French chasseur dashed up and cut the traces, and although their driver was a long way off, the horses galloped after hii», and followed him for four days.' They wore not needed, but they kept their places in the line like trained soldiers. "I am sometimes asked if everything is done for our dumb allies; whether animal-lovers at home can be certain that there is no repetition of the horrors of the past. My answer is in the affirmatiye. Eest assured that the terrible scenes witnessed and described by the war correspondents of former wars no longnr occur in France and Flanders. After every engagement at the front riderless horses are always rounded up and brought in. Often they are found near their dead masters, or following other riders. It was one of the Coldstream Guards who told how, after the fierce fighting at Loos, a liorso was seen standing between the firing-lines. For two whoio days he remained there; when some of our men crawled out and found ho was standing by the side of the dead 'body of Jiis rider, the horse himself unharmed. It was with difficulty he was induced to leave the spot, and only by blindfolding him could he. be persuaded to leave his dead master and return to the British lines. The Blue Cross.

The great outcry raised about the trials of the horse during the South 'African War has borne'fruit in the shape of a highly efficient staff of veterinary : surgeons provided for by the Blue Cross I'und. Regarding the work of the Blue Cross, Mr. Forward says:— "I have no hesitation in saying that the operations of this society for the alleviation of suffering among army horses are beyond all praise. What has been greatly appreciated by the various units in Fiance, and also in Italy, has been the "Veterinary Cheats' which have been sent out. by the score. They contain a' carefully selected suppiy of instruments, bandages, and rugs most frequently needed in giving relief to wounded and s.ick horses far removed from the base of fielddressing stations. In addition to abovo, hundreds of bandages, wither and sheepskin pads, ointments, and drugs have also been sent to the front for the benefit of our war horses. Many other more expensive gifts, such as portable forges, clipping machines, chaffcutters, poulticeboots, pocket veterinary eases, special waterproof rugs for winter lise, canvas water-troughs, and fomenting pails have also been supplied by the Blue Cross." The hospitals are without question the largest and most "i)-to-date institutions of their kind in "xistence. Their very 6ites were selected with care, and they are all close to running streams so that a plentiful supply cf puro water is always available. They nil boast, of spacious sheltered meadows where the horses can freely graze. IJach hospital has its own operating-room, pharmacy, sickwards, and isolated quarters for those animals suffering from some contaminated disease, such aa munge. The most common complaint is saddle-sores. In tho wear and tear of war saddles once put on remain on for many days, and as they do not always lit, unequal pressure causes large surface wounds, so that when the saddle is taken off a portion of the skin comes away with it. This form of injury accounts for the disabling of a large number i f i-nimals, and is not 'fin easy one to deal with.

Equine Shcll-Shock. , Going to and fro rmong the hospitals, Mr. Forward naturally tame across many stories of the faithfulness, tenacity, and sagacity of the army horses. Their wonderful "memories have often been described, but we now hear, probably for the first timfc, about a horse suffering from shell-shock. We quote:— . "A very striking instance of memory came under my personal observation just before our great offensive at —. Bein® in want of a fresli mount, I had acquired ] one from a brother oliicer who was returning to England suffering from shell- 1 shock. Ho assured me that I could .have . no better charger on which to ride forward when we advanced. 'As strong and brave as a lion, yet a3 mild and obedient as a lamb when r nswering the reins, i : an absolutely trustworthy steed,' were i the owner's words as wo concluded our i bargain. And, truth to tell, I found nothing to complain of in the behaviour of that mare unti'l one a'.tornoon when, riding out of tho ruined village of —, in Flanders, I came to a long road where, . but a short time before, there had been a beautiful avenue of poplars, now mere stumps. . "I had no sooner got half-way down than my horso stood stock still, began to tremble all over, and, with dilated nostrils, refused to go a step farther, until I had applied the spurs, I put this incident down to a sudden caprice, and, forgiving her, dismissed it from my mind. ; But when the same thing happened again I a few days later I made a mental note of tho fact, and as soon as I got back from the reconnaissance wrote to my ! friend. His reply solved the mystery. 'Poor Dolly! I had no idea that she also was suffering from .shell-shock,' lie said, in substance 'But she's really not as bad as her old master. The fact of the matter is, it was on that very avenue, near the village of —, that the shell fell which led to my return to Blighty. She evidently remembers it as keenly as I do. But take her anywhere else than there, and I think you will find she will behave like a thoroughbred lady.'" More than one instance has been related to me in which horses have endeavoured to save their wounded riders who have fallen.by lifting them with their tcetli and helping to drag them to n place of ?afet,v. And the extraordinary sympathy that exists between man and beast has been displayed in innumerable instances where a wounded man unable to mount has managed to hold on to the saddle or harness of an unwuunded or only slightly wounded horse, and has thus been sympathetically and u'mlerstandingly assisted in his progress toward a dressing station.