PONIES. 141 



equal to only one maund in most cases when employed during 

 the operations in that country in 1903. A large number was 

 employed during the Nile Expedition of 1884-85. They were 

 mostly hired, and had no disease. 



The record of donkeys in the Kohat-Kurram Force of 1879-80 

 was bad, for the reason that so many of the animals were very 

 young, or old and unfit ; there was no sort of proper selection^ 



Very large numbers of donkeys are used for transport 

 purposes in Persia. In South West Persia alone there are 

 probably 200,000. The Persian donkey is small, but strong 

 and enduring, and he is equal to a load of 130 to 200 lb. The 

 practice of Local Transport Companies is to shoe them with a 

 broad webbed shoe for work over the rocky road from Bandar 

 Abbas into the interior. 



Afghanistan also is well endowed with an exceptionally hardy 

 donkey, something of the same nature as our frontier animals. 



Chapter VIII— PONIES. 



The knight of old, when on march route, bestrode his palfrey 

 for his greater comfort ; the present day officer is permitted to 

 include his polo pony as a charger for practically the same 

 reason. Olficers of Services and Departments, not required to 

 do fast work, are supplied with small horses and ponies as their 

 chargers ; and the riding animals of units of Transport and 

 Mountain Artillery in India are ponies ranging from 13-3 to 

 14-2. They are universally satisfactory in war for the reasons 

 that they require a lesser ration than horses ; they are, as a rule, 

 easier and more comfortoble to ride, especially for the inex- 

 perienced ; and if the equilibrium of the rider suffers by default,, 

 mother earth is somewhat nearer. Individual ponies as riders 

 have been made great use of during the late War with marked 

 success. They were used considerably for Mounted Infantry 

 purposes during the War in South Africa, and without question 

 certain classes of them performed very satisfactory work. The 

 Cape Colony and Free State pony for instance, native to the 

 country, was quite able to keep on his legs and cover long 



