136 



ANIMAL MANAGEMENT. 



forgotten. Night marches are slower and more fatiguing than in the 

 day, and miless the read is well known may possibly be lengthened by 

 errors of direction. 



Choice of Ground.— AXiervtAon should always be paid to the condition of 

 the ground travelled over, the pace being increased when the going is 

 good ; and bad, heavy, or newly metalled pieces walked over. Riding 

 horses should be kept off the road if the going at the sides is soft and 

 suitable. Vehicles should always keep to the hardest and smoothest routes. 



Steep hills are particularly suitable places to relieve the horses of 

 weight and let the men walk. 



Pace. — Always remembering the fatigue which the weight carried 

 produces, irrespective of the distance travelled, the maintenance of a 

 good average pace throughout the entire journey is to be desired, and, 

 provided it is not unduly hurried at any point, the cjuicker a journey is 

 completed the less fatiguing is it to both horse and rider. The actual 

 mileage per hour will naturally vary with the unit concerned : taking the 

 walk at four miles per hour, the trot at eight to ten, cavalry and mounted 

 infantry, unaccompanied by other arms, should maintain a rate of five to 

 six miles an hour including halts, over any ordinary distance, and this 

 rate is capable of being kept up for very long journeys where the 

 animals are accustomed to travel at the canter. Horse artillery can 

 travel at the same pace as cavalry, field artillery at four miles, and 

 transport at three miles an hour under favourable conditions. 



Single horsemen with a thorough knowledge of the work and with 

 mounts in the pink of condition may be able to travel forty to fifty miles 

 at the rate of twelve or fourteen miles an hour ; but such a pace cannot 

 be expected from any body of horsemen ; and the larger the force the 

 slower will be the progress as a rule (see also " Cavalry Training," sec. 

 143). Forty or fifty miles a day, if continued for several days, will test 

 the condition of both horse and man very thoroughly, and even this 

 result cannot be attained without severe loss unless the men are practised 

 in the work and both they and the horses are as hard as nails. 



The pace should be varied as much as possible, walk, trot and canter 

 being all utilized, and the last of these is found by all long-distance riders to 

 be the easiest pace for both horse and man on a journey. No pace should 

 be maintained so long, without a break, as to weary either horse or man, 

 but after ten or fifteen minutes' trot and canter a short walk should follow. 

 To a very large extent the men should walk whenever the horses do, in 

 order to relieve them of the weight ; and this procedure has the further 

 advantage of lessening the strain on the men themselves by bringing 

 into play other muscles besides those exerted in riding. 



