PREFACE. 



During voyages with horses to and from India and 

 to Russia, I often wished to write a book about the 

 management of these animals on board ship for the 

 benefit of men who were new to the work ; but I 

 felt I was not competent to do so, because my 

 experience had been restricted to not more than 

 half-a-dozen horses at a time. As my animals had 

 been conveyed in portable horse-boxes, I knew 

 nothing of the special requirements of large numbers 

 of horses in stalls at sea. Fortunately, at the 

 beginning of this year, I obtained veterinary charge 

 of 498 remounts proceeding from England to South 

 Africa, on board the hired cattle steamer Kelvingrove^ 

 on which there were thirty-three nondescript men and 

 boys to look after the animals ; and after a most 

 instructive passage I returned to England. Wishing 

 to see how things were managed on board ship with 

 troops, I again applied to Colonel Duck, Director- 

 General, A.V.D., who very kindly sent me in 

 veterinary charge of 248 remounts going to South 

 Africa on H.M.T. IdaJio, which also carried a large 

 number of infantry and no men of the lOth Hussars. 

 I therefore obtained an insight into both the civil and 

 military methods of horse management at sea. 



