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Descriptions abound of
military actions in which cavalry have played a
major part. Tactics, the names of regiments, the men
involved, their arms and uniforms – all these are
covered in detail in countless books, films and
articles. Yet little is said about the horse,
without whom very little would have been achieved in
the military sphere, in any era.
This may be because, with
rare exceptions, military historians are not
horsemen or women, and the latter are seldom
military historians.
Ann Hyland is both of
these things. In this latest volume in her acclaimed
Warhorse series, she gives a comprehensive account
of the horse in war from the beginning of the 17th
century to the end of the American Civil War.
The modern era saw a
period of tremendous transition for the warhorse
which began with the change from the accepted, but
erroneous, concept of the Medieval Great Horse whose
body mass was not always so great, to the better
bred, more mobile, speedier animal that evolved from
the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. Many
changes hinged on four breeds of horse: the Arabian,
the Barb, the
Andalusian, and the English Thoroughbred. All
influenced the cavalry of the era, particularly when
crossed onto each country’s native mares.
Using many eyewitness
accounts by those who took part in these and other
campaigns, as well as official sources, Ann Hyland
gives us a moving picture of the sacrifices demanded
of – and made by, with so little complaint – this
most noble of creatures. In the midst of dreadful
carnage and in often appalling conditions, we catch
glimpses of the bond which existed between these
horses of war and the men who rode and cared for
them.
The
Warhorse in the Modern Era is a fascinating and
readable book which will appeal to both military
history buffs and horse lovers alike.
Ann Hyland is a leading expert on the history of the
horse, and has written a
number of books on
the subject.Formerly a professional horse breeder
and trainer who has taken part in endurance rides
all over the world, she founded the Endurance Horse
and Pony Society of Great Britain. She is a
consultant on equestrianism for several
publications, among them the Oxford English
Dictionary; she has also acted as a consultant for a
number of TV series, such as Battlefield Walks (BBC)
and The Warhorse (History Channel).