SUPPLY OF HORSES ADAPTED TO THE ENGLISH ARMY. 231 
designated eurable diseases in contradistinction to those 
which defy all medical skill. 
For many years there has not been any very important 
change in the characteristics of the horses required for the 
army on home service. They may be appropriately divided 
into two chief classes—those of the Cavalry and the Artillery; 
the first of which may be subdivided into Heavy and Light 
Cavalry; the second into Horse and Field Artillery; the 
requirements of the Engineers and Military Train being put 
under the same head as those of the Field Artillery, although 
the Engineers use a rather smaller horse, and the Military 
Train a slightly heavier one, than the Field Artillery. Each 
corps selects its own horses. The Heavy Cavalry make, in 
a great degree, successful attempts to procure the breeding 
and substance of weight-carrying hunters. The Light Cavalry 
attempt with equal success to obtain well-bred, active, hunt¬ 
ing-like horses, of less weight. 
Those chosen for the Horse or Flying Artillery approximate 
more to the London carriage-horse than to any other class; 
and those which belong to the Field Battery class are of the 
thick, active, farm or railway-contractor’s kind. The officers^ 
chargers, being suitable for the park or hunting-field, and 
such as they would use whether in the army or not, need not 
be further noticed. 
This classification may be said to have existed for a good 
many years, but the number in each class has not remained 
relatively the same; the Royal Artillery having been greatly 
augmented, in consequence of the increased importance of 
that arm of the service. 
Although in no one instance, perhaps, is a horse bred 
expressly to supply the army, nevertheless horses of all these 
four descriptions are reared in abundance in the United 
Kingdom ; and we may feel assured, from our experience of 
the influence of the short Crimean campaign, that our general 
capability of rearing horses admits of very great expansion. 
Under the impulse then given, in Ireland alone the increase 
in one year, upon a stock of 573,408, amounted to 26,374; 
as, although the war was then over, the vastness of this 
increase may be attributed to its influence.' It is very much 
to be regretted that we have no means of knowing how many 
were bred in Great Britain in the same eventful period; for 
we may be allowed to think that the diminution in the 
number of cavalry horses bred in Great Britain, ’ which 
is a notorious fact, and the inerease of the same pro¬ 
duce in Ireland, have arisen, in no inconsiderable degree, 
from the publicity which was given in Ireland^ and 
