LIGHT DRAUGHT WORSES. 119 



foregoing will give an idea of the . composition of Argentine 

 horses, and it will further show that from a suitable Artillery 

 draught point of view the field of supply is somewhat limited. 

 I remember the difficulty experienced by the British Eemount 

 Commission purchasing for South Africa in 1908 in obtaining 

 suitable horses for Artillery. One hundred and twenty were at 

 last selected, and they were fairly good specimens, showing 

 Clydesdale, Cleveland Bay, and Percheron strains. 



A great drawback to the Argentine horse as a war animal, 

 and particularly for the more or less immediate purposes of war, 

 is that he is " grass fed." As a rule he knows little about grain, 

 his chief diet being the beautiful alfalfa which grows so 

 profusely in the Argentine, either under cultivation as a hay 

 crop, or forming a considerable part of the herbage of pastures- 

 He misses the latter greatly when taken to other countries, and 

 his introduction to manger foods, and particularly the use of a 

 nose-bag, is often a gradual process of coaxing. One can quite 

 understand softness and a falling away in condition under such 

 circumstances — which really sums up our experience of the 

 Argentine horse generally in war. 



Though the present section is intended to deal only with 

 animals employed bj^ our own Armies, 1 may be excused brief 

 mention of some of the races and types of light draught horses 

 of our Allies in France. The Petit Percheron, or Postier 

 Percheron, the French Tramway horse of former days, is a 

 hardy, sturdy animal, and I should like to see a few selected 

 teams of this strain in the hands of our Artillery Horse-masters. 

 I am confident they would give great satisfaction for strength 

 and endurance. 



The Postier Breton, with his touch of Norfolk blood, is a 

 great favom-ite in French Artillery. 



The Ardennes horse also has a great reputation as an Artillery 

 horse, not only in France, but in Belgium, Germany, and even 

 in Russia. He is a hard, stout, short little animal, perhaps to 

 om" English idea somewhat " jumped-up," to use a horsey 

 phrase, and in some districts one appears to see in him a trace 

 of Arab blood, which I understand was introduced in 1810 by 

 Napoleon. 



