78 OUR CAVALRY. 



that till now they were always when encamped 

 tied to the picket-post in the open air, and this 

 without sustaining the smallest injury ? Surely 

 this encampment is an occasion which should 

 not be neglected for trying how our horses are 

 likely to go through a campaign with their 

 riders fully equipped for the field. The last 

 encampment in England was near Weymouth 

 in 1805, and as I was in it I am able to say 

 that, though the horses were tied to the picket- 

 post in the open air, they were in the finest 

 condition. 



Advantage should be taken of the coming 

 encampment for further testing our cavalry 

 horses by marching them daily, when not 

 otherwise employed, for a month, a considerable 

 number of miles. We test our cannon and our 

 muskets before using them in war, and if this 

 be a wise precaution, it is not less so after a 

 very long peace to test our cavalry horses 

 before we enter upon war, particularly now 

 when they appear much more delicate, and 

 much less able to cany the great weight of 

 fully equipped soldiers than were their prede- 

 cessors in the last war. 



The number of miles to be marched each 



