196 PINK AND SCARLET 



do our utmost to make him, as well as our men, 

 as comfortable as possible under all circumstances. 

 Horses are very sensitive to discomfort (we have 

 only to use our eyes when out on a wet day where 

 there are horses turned out in a field to see this), 

 and rain, mud, wind, and cold tell on their condition 

 and spirits, just as wet clothes and muddy boots tell 

 on the morale of the soldier. 



Therefore, when horses are picketed in the open, 

 good blankets and waterproof sheets are a necessity 

 if condition is to be kept up, and every care should 

 be taken to ensure that they are put on and taken 

 off at the right times, and also that they a7^e kept 

 properly adjusted. A horse whose blanket and 

 sheet are half flown off on a cold, wet night will 

 lose more condition in a few hours than several days 

 on unlimited oats will put on. 



In standing camps some sort of screen should be 

 put up, on both sides of the horse lines, if possible, 

 but at any rate on the side from which the prevailing 

 wind comes. 



If it is not possible to improvise shelters, the 

 horses should be picketed on one side of the line 

 only, with their backs to the prevailing wind, or, 

 better still, be picketed without heel-ropes,^ so that 

 they can always turn their backs to the wind. 



In the Mounted Infantry Camp which remained 

 on the slopes of Majuba Hill for some six months 



^ Heel-ropes are not usually used for South African horses, and 

 they very soon cease to be required for most horses on active 

 service. 



