goes three years' probation, during which the 

 Htness of the young officer for liis career is 

 decided. 



The non-commissioned officers and men 

 are mostly transferred from cavalry regiments. 

 After joining, they are on probation for three 

 months, tluriiig wliirh thc>y recei\e a course 

 of instruction in Stable Management, 

 I'oods and Feeding, and ("are of the Sick and 

 Wounded. After this, if approxed for the 

 A.\'.C., the\- are transferred to the \arious 

 \-eterinar\- hosjiitals, where llicii- instinct inn 

 is continued for two _\cars."' 



THE A.V.C. AT THE FRONT. 



The \'eterinar\- organisation of the 

 Expeditionary Force is most complete," says 

 a writer in Tlie Globe. " The arrangements 

 made for the care of the horses are almost as 

 elaborate as those provided for the wounded 

 troops. Every mounted unit of any size in 

 the field is provided with a \eterinary officer, 

 who is not only responsible for the treatment 

 of the sick animals, but for adxising the com- 

 manding officer on all matters relating to the 

 well-being of the horses under his charge. 

 The detection and control of contagious 

 disease is one of his most important duties. 

 This officer is assisted by a trained staff 

 attached to the unit, and provided with all 

 the necessary veterinary medicines, instru- 

 ments and dressings, in the form of a \eter- 

 inary chest for himself, and small chests and 

 wallets for his subordinates. 



" To every division and caxalry brigade 

 is attached a mobile veterinary section. Each 

 consists of one officer and 11 trained men of 

 the Army \'eterinary Corps, all mounted and 

 fully equipped with all the necessary veter- 

 inary means. Their function is to relieve 

 the field units of all [other than trivially) sick 

 and inefficient animals. They are the con- 

 necting link between the held units and the 

 \'eterinary hospitals. The patients they 

 obtain, after proper lirst aid treatment, are 

 conveyed to the nearest railhead and dis- 

 patched b\' train to the advanced veterinary 

 hospital, the mobile \eterinary section finding 

 the party recjuired to attend to tlie patients" 

 wants during the railway journex'. 



Then come the veterinary hospitals, 

 ten in number, and situated at different j^oints 

 along the line of communication. ICach is 

 organised to deal with 1,000 cases, and has a 

 staff of officers and trained men of the Army 

 \'eterinar\- Corps. All necessary veterinar\- 

 medicines, instruments, antl surgical means 

 for dealing with the i)atients are proN'ided. 

 The gases are reccixed into the advance 



hospital, and from there, after treatment, 

 drafted, according to their severity, to the 

 hospitals further down the line. The cases 

 which end in complete recovery are dis- 

 charged to the remount department for 

 re-issue to the fighting troops, but many 

 horses discharged from hosi)ital are found 

 to ret] u ire further rest before they are fit 

 for re-issue. These are drafted to the con- 

 valescent horse depot. 



The horses are treated with just the 

 same care and skill as is shown to wounded 

 soldiers. They are given chloroform and 

 other anasthetics before they are operated 

 upon by skilled officers. The Convalescent 

 Horse Depot has been established in one of 

 the healthiest places in France, and it covers 

 an area of 20 miles. Here the patients run to 

 grass in small well-sheltered paddocks, re- 

 ceiving extra feed, and they are under the 

 supervision of officers of the Army Veterinarv 

 ('orps. By this means a ver\- large number of 

 animals, which would otherwise be lost to the 

 State, are saved, and again become thoroughly 

 efficient troop horses. 



About 27,000 animals liave already been 

 treated in the hospitals, the majority of which 

 have been returned to the remount department 

 for service in the firing line, and a very large 

 proportion of the remainder are now getting 

 well in the convalescent farms. This work is 

 not only humane, but is of great economic 

 x'alue ; tor these horses comprise some of the 

 best in the country, and if lost could not be 

 replaced." 



R.S.P.C.A. Inspector at the front. 



An A V.C. Sergeant and his patient. 



19299« 



