“The Cavalry Horse”

Click on the image to access “Figure 3. External Regions of the Horse” and “Nomenclature of the External Regions of the Horse” on page 14 of General Carter’s book.

“In purchasing thousands of horses to meet a great emergency conformation and soundness are the things to which attention is mainly directed, but there are some other requisites, however, which are absolute essentials in a saddle horse worthy of the name. The most important of these are a gentle disposition; a good mouth; regular and easy gaits, without stumbling, interfering or over-reaching; courage and ambition, without being nervous or fidgety; of proper size to carry the weight, which for cavalry service requires a horse about fifteen to fifteen and three-quarters hands high, and weighing from 900 to 1100 pounds.”
William H. Carter. Horses, Saddles and Bridles. Baltimore: The Lord Baltimore Press, The Friedenwald Company, 1906, page 9.

General Carter’s book, published several years after the Civil War, is comprehensive. Chapter I is called “The Cavalry Horse.” Some of the topics presented in the other fifteen chapters include: equipment, the horse’s age, its endurance, stable management, diseases and injuries, forage, and transporting horses “by rail and sea.” The book concludes with a glossary.