THE MILITARY SEAT. 95 



the cavalry horse's work must be done in trot and 

 gallop, and much of it on more or ess difficult ground, 

 it is probable that 90kilog. (198J English pounds) 

 would be quite sufficient load, although the average 

 marches should not exceed 15 English miles per diem, 

 because the irregular food and the exposure to the 

 weather in bivouacs more than compensate for the 

 difference of distance. 



It seems, however, to be the practice of most cavalry 

 services to put on their horses at least a third in many 

 cases even more than that proportion of the animal's 

 own weight. Strange to say, we must go to the manuals 

 of the artillery and pioneers for the weight of the 

 cavalry soldier. An Austrian authority, Baron Smola, 

 calls the average weight of the horse 743 to 864 English 

 pounds ; and it has always been laid down as a rule 

 by the best cavalry officers of that service that 200 

 Austrian or 246 English pounds, =17 stone 81b., is the 

 maximum load admissible. This would be exactly 

 one- third of the weight of the lighter horse, and about 

 two-sevenths that of the heavier one ; so that, in fact, 

 if this rule were adhered to, it would make light 

 cavalry heavier (for the horse) than heavy cavalry. 

 But we suspect that both one and the other have 

 transgressed this limit at various times. Very recently, 

 indeed, the Austrian light cavalry has thrown away 

 sabretaches, echabraques, cruppers, pistol-holsters, and 

 no end of other useless lumber, to the great ease of 

 the horse's backs ; and the cuirassiers have been all 

 converted into dragoons. Taking 246 Ib. as the total 

 weight, and deducting 66 kilog. or 145^ Ib. for the 

 average man, there would remain for arms, saddle, 

 kit, &c., 100 Ib., which ought to suffice. 



