CHAPTER XVI 



MILITAEY HYGIENE 



The care and management of Army horses in peace only 

 differs from that of horses in civil life in one or two 

 particulars, such, for example, as their military training. 

 It is not a hard life compared with that of civil horses, and 

 it is only during the drill season and mancBuvres that any 

 severe work is done. The hardest part of the life of a 

 troop-horse is the weight he has to carry, and he carries 

 more during peace than during war. 



Under the conditions of active service, the whole tenour 

 of the life of the troop-horse changes. From living in a 

 comfortable and hygienic stable with a warm bed, he finds 

 himself in the open, exposed to wind, rain, sun, dust, frost 

 or snow ; from food of good quality and sufficient in ' 

 quantity, he may find himself on reduced rations and poor 

 of its kind ; from work which is rarely excessive, he finds 

 himself under the saddle all day and perhaps all night for 

 days or weeks together. 



In fact he is being tried very highly. The strain is 

 excessive, the exposure considerable, food and water very 

 variable in amount and quality, and work continuous. 



In other words, the uttermost is being extracted from 

 the horses, it is only a question of how long they can stand 

 the incessant strain, and this length of time depends 

 almost entirely on the care and management exercised. 



It is when horses, in fact all army animals, are living 

 under the most trying conditions, that the supervision should 

 be the greatest and best. Every care must be taken to 



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