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REMOUNT NEEDS OF THE ARMY. Major-5cnci?l Wood, Describing What Is Required. Declares Thoroughbred Essential. Tlic ■ liiK-iuuK* " Major Ccneral Worn! i:i a re-rviH ii|»it i" Congress on the lack of suitable Imrscs for the army, that, "aa ■ result of recent state legislation affecting racing, there baa been :iiid r-i il 1 continues to be a rerj extensive shipment .■it of the lountrj of the best thoroughbred Wood." and thai "this depletion of the thoroughbred breed lug establishments if the country is now assuming the magnitude of ■ national calamity." liavc attracted extraordinary attention. The existing eon ditiona have startled not only those interested dl-. ill-. In tb« armj remount problem, but also all patriotic and thoughtful citizen-. wiiai has already been done and what will be done to remedy the situation if Congress realize-the importance of the subject, were questions put to Siajor-General W I. who kindly gave the writer the privil re of an Interview upon this Important topic. General W 1 In Introducing the subject said: "Legislatiou ami appropriations In behalf of the urmy removal have been i I by Rome of the presentatlvea in Congren, not only on the grousd ii economy, but becausi of the tears of their con atitucnts, manj nt whom are farmers, that II the government undertook the breeding of horse* t i i a vain purposes, tbelr nun market aa breeders of sucii horses, would be destroyed. 1lii- seems to me to be ai entirely wrong point ot view, as all that the government would bope to accomplish would be to establish » standard or type of cavalry mount which tbi fanner would follow ii hi* own profit. The great shortage of this type of horse could not pos-aiblj be destroyed by these government stations, and the farmer would have the advantage of ■ stand anl to which he could breed, as well as an assured market f t in- produce. This fad the farmer and In- representative In Congress have now begun to realise, and the spirit of opposition to the breeding ii. tbe goverumenl of the army horses lias largely died away In fact, i; lias been supplanted by a widespread desire for legistatl n for tbe establish-:iii in m" government breeding stations. "There are now in exlstelice three remount ita liuua i uefuily selected on account of favorable i"ii •lit i is, excellent grass and good watei Front Royal. Va.. Fort Reno, Okla. and Ki gh. Mont. At front Royal. Va., ■ I a thor ■•ughbreds, the property of tin War Department, In junction with the Agricultural Deiuurtment, are being put to -• n lee. That the thoronghbred. or galloping bin i. is the lie*1 fouudati n foi ■ ren nt system, there can be d iilii. Thanks i" the public spirit ami generositj iugusl Belmont, such high class and valuable stallions aa Henry of Navarre, Octagon and sons of the English Oerby winner, link Band, are now en gaged in active stud duly at Front Royal, Va.. with the view lo Improving the standard of the cavalry horse. Harry Payne wiii t m lia- also presented i. the government ror army stud purposes Sandring-bam. full brother ii- the lat - King Edwards Derby winners. Persimmon and Diamond Jubilee. This is a ■ ■ J. Hi beginning and much appreciated by the M Department, but when one realises the fact thai the Russian government paid for similar pur-posea .-i.n immi for ih" English Ii -rliy winner. Gal tec More; the German government 10,000 for the i uglish Derby winner, Anl Patrick, and other t"i clgu governments eqnaUy large sums for the great Hi ■ : lUgbbreda id th ilav. th llfference between our goreri m nts sttit ide upon the subject up i dat that "I other world powers, can be nndet "The cessation of racing in the east during last year baa driven our best thoroughbred -i •• i, abroad. Kucb well known Americans i-!--:- August lielinont. Perri Belmont, ti II. Hackay, II. B. Imryea. K. VanderbUt. Prank ■. Id .1 . i: Wldener and Elarrj Payu* Whltm..v. now either breeil i r race abroad. onsequently the nan and the ttallion "i Hi" liuht type for tin-Improvement of ill" charger, aa uHl as the servl ■ mount, are iim-i difficult !■• secure and ire growiug scarcer each day. Registration if thoroughbred funis lias dwindled from 1,500 not a large numU-r in ii.-li ii. 1001, to 2.400 In 1911, ■ decrease of hi ari 50 |s»i cent. Ii Ii not only now a question ol iiuniher, but of quality as well, and In both respect: then lias lieen a serious decrease and deterioration in mi- country . •An Ana] Remount Association to which Sand rlngbam ha* been sent, baa been formed In St. I uis, Mn.. recently, li hi hoped thai the Idea may i" • ii in i.. .1 by ppHulnent breeders and civilians h»-temsted in tii subject, and that a larger ■ ■a i"1 ahlch will work In conjunction with the army, unr. in formed. Breeders of all types of bones -thoroughbreds, ti itters, saddlers. Morgans, etc., should be lnt rested, and I think l can guarantee the cordial support and encouragement of the War Department in tbi* matter. "There i- need "f the Immediate establishment of a standard foj ii" cavalry inn—. h rirwn upon the subject were briefly embodied In the follow lug i, -tiii written bj mi- a short tlaae ago: Dear Mr Replying to your communication re aardiag thi mosi suitable horse for ravabrj purposes mid the in -i way i" breed such animals, 1 beg to statr that tin- |. niiiary L.Usideialiou iu the cavalry hone i- the capacity to carry considerable weight over rough country fog a long period and often-time* ::l a rapid pace. The liist condition eliminates a very light horse. the second and third require activity and endurance, and tlio fliniii necessitates some speed, it la dear that certain types must tie eliminated and that -iin. lido animals are to he found in large aumbcra in vory few localities in our country. This fact causes this department to take the keenest Interest in the subject of breeding service horses. The temperament of these animals is hardly It ss Important than either t f the essential attributes suggested above. "•The principally recognised breeds of this country standard. Morgan, hackney, saddle as is well known, are largely Indebted to thoroughbred ancea try for some of their most noteworthy traits. Thnt tart help- t-i confirm the opinion that R I, big. graded mares, almost regardless of predominating -train-, when crossed with aelected thoroughbred stallions, should produce fairly giMxi cavalry boraea. Probably the highest type of a charger would result from crossing a large thoroughbred mare of excellent temperament and of big hones and muscle, with a stallion of similar nuaiirteatious. The government cannot expect to secure such progeny, as that would assure insufficient numbera. The tyi e of sire, however, crossed with good graded mares, sh und gin- sattefactory mounts and in general horses of much farm usefulness. If that pnliey of breeding were adopted by the farmers la the course of a few years the government would he able to secure enough young horses of a proper type to satisfy its peace requirements. "•The fill. wing gives you a notion "f what is now demanded of the service hone owned by officers: "Suitable mount charger, as published in *i. erai orden No. - . War Di partment, 1008. is hereby interpreted te mean a horse with a minimum height of fifteen hands tw i inches, and with a minimum m -ight of 1,000 pounds. The horse should I f good appearance and of such breeding and sub stance aa will enable him to carry his owner over jumps of reasonable stiffness. Including hurdles, ditches, femes and other ohstacles. simulating those which ordinarily would b ■ met in going croaa coeut-t ry . •• "Thanking you for your patrotic interest in im-proving the bone of the county. I am, very truly yours, signed: Leonard Wood. "Weight carrying ability, a sine ana aoa in the cavalry horse. Is not usually appreciated at its full importance. The average nvalry horse nmsi !»■ ap to carrying 367 pound-, allowing 1*0 pound- Im weight "f the rider. •Personally, I ride a thoroughbred whenever possl hie. and I now have one named Getahedron, a chestnut, foaled lOOfl, and bred by P. P. Johnston, at Lexington, Ky.. by AI Frisco, owl of Bxlex. On the -ires side he tnees to Bolus, of Leamington blood, and mi bis dams side to St. Simon, through Simple Sinn n. the sin- of Bxlex. He is sixteen and "iie-l.ilf hand-, weighs l.ls? ihuiiiiIs. ean jump a live foot frame, has plenty "I" -peed and stamina and ■ perfect temper. This bone was purchased for me at Lexington i"r 49. with a lot of nearly twenty others, none of wl leh cost the government more I ;ili . LIMI. As sooa as our breeding stations are established ■ system can be devised by which our stallions ean lie iired to fanners mare-, with a right to purctnuv the foal, if satisfactory, as ■ two or three-year-old, at sav 50. a larger limit, of coarse, being allowed, If it is found necessary. This would give to tin fanner, the stallions sendees being free, a fair margin of profit, while tin- cent to the government ..! a good type of cavalry remount would be reason able, in this connection, if aa Army Remount As soctatioa i- formed, a- I hope then auq i» . -"in" breeder who combtaea practical and scieatlflc knowledge of the subject, should be invited to act a- an i p.n . u the selection of stallion- and males and as an instructor to select officers in the underlying prin-. tplea d ii" breeding of the highest -tan lard of tue cavalry ban ." Major-General V Is remarks anon this aab- i. • i remind us that the army remount problem i.i tin- country is by no means ■ new topic of discus sion. Tin- difficulty of securing cavalry honea with weight-carrying ability, -peed and stamnia, in suf tii dent number, was experienced at the time of the Mexican War in 1848. but the situation at the bt giunini: of the Civil War was critical, and i- shown iiin-1 ele Ml-, by the fallowing extract from the Spirit of the Times. November -. Wd "Our Cavalry Horses: Their Inferiority of Qaality nod It- Can — . -A long continuanci of profound peace and tranquility has been Invariably found to had naturally i" a feeling of national security and a relaxation of that vigilance which is asserted to i„- ih,. price of liberty. The cause, combined with that a-i : an I engrossing pursuit of the almightj dollar.* which Is gen rallj regarded as characteristic of in- American people, has caused as to neglect • tin- judicious maxim. In time of peace prepare for war. This Is especially true of one of the bks*| ini|H rtant arm- of our military organlxatlon -our cavalry ami thi seemlnglj studl d neglect with which we i..iv treated It, would lead to the con • iii-i-.ii thai ue Ignored its nine. The breed of horses i» -t adapted for cavalry may he said to hardly exist in this country, or, at all events, onlj in a very limited degree. This i- especially evident in i i. win- a regiment of cavalry at the present lime aid observing the betrogeneous lot ol bora -..ii which thej are mounted. Hones of every breed • .ept the "lie U-t suited for the ravalrv charger are there in abundance. Th trotter with his unnatural rail and unsuitable action is alongside the i, oil- broken and bard mouthed back and the lumber mg Conestoga. all equally unfitted for active service In the hold But the true charger, nearly thorough i. r.-d. lull of lire ami courage, that .an clear a b«dge or ditch like a deer, carry hia heavily anne,i ruler with ease, end possessing both speed and endurance in it"- highest degree, i- hardl ever lo be seen ,| !., whai b this deterioration of our breed mg -l"ik lo B altiiliuld .- Ii I- I" the fact that iu northern states racing, as u national naatiasa, has _ . ._ | been allowed to die out. and as the natural conse quences we are fast losiag in the breed of our | horses the speed, courage ami endurance which are j characteristics of the thoroughbred racer." Abroad the subject has received great consider:!- iio:i from all the continental governments, France ] and Germany having arrived more closely at the solution of the problem than any oilier countries. iu the opinion that France and Germany now have today the licst remount system, both American and ! foreign experts agree. Iu l.MI.l. the French govern- J incut, according to official reports, expended ..°ihi. 000 on their widely distributed and scientifically managed breeding bureaus, and the appropriations for thi- purpose largely due to the government tax ] on the pari niuiuel system of bettlag in vogue at the various race courses Of the country, were larger during this last war than cur before. The great importance given la France to the up ! keep of a high standard of cavalry service is shown 1 i the fact that in 1880-1881. when a body of re- formers attempted to pass legislation against racing because of the hotting connected with it. the War Department entered the Held for the salvation of . the snort, asserting that Inasmuch as "the race course" was "the testing ground" for the thorough- ■. bred, the "essential nil" for the improvement of the government remount, there should he no Interference with it. This contention was so strongly [ supported by the government, press and people of j Prance, that the so-called reform move me at was completely routed, and as a result the cavalry and the thoroughbred in France have reached a remark ably high state of development. j Thai the subject of the cavalry remount has beea given great attention iu Germany, for many years. is well known, hut few are aware that the principal breeding stud, located at Iraki in n. dates from 17::ii. This establishment, containing our 10,000 acres, breeds chiefly stallions for the smaller or : rural studs, and as ■ rule, has dose to iMitiu horses I within its paddocks. There are tile other so-called principal studs and eighteen smaller establishments of the same kind with thoroughbred Mood the lire- 1 dominant strain. England, owing to its wonderful resources in the thoroughbred line and through its great additional supply from the hunting held, never until the Doer War. felt tile pinch of an Insufficient supply of ani- ! mala for cavalry remount and transport purposes. At that time the English government was compelled •■ turn to this country, and many thousand American-bred hones were shipped to South Africa. In tic early pari of our fivil War the South was victorious over the North largely through the superiority of its cm airy. Doer victories over the English, in several Instances, were due to a similar cause. However, as to tin- pics,-, a situation in F.ngland. BO great an authority as Lord Cardigan, recently wrote: "This subject, although of the greatest importance to the success of tin- army in the field, ha- only within recent yean received the slightest attention frmn the British War Oflsee. That the breeding of the n mount in England i- necessary, re quires only thai attention he drawn to the words I I a recent Secretary for Agriculture, who stated that one year had seen a decrease of ten thousand foals. that the time had come for the eosndderatloa of the question, and Unit Ihe present state of affairs of British horse hie. ding, has revealed a dangerous po-itimi." Continuing, Lord Cardigan writes: "The remount scheme, in my opinion, must commence with the actual hie, ding of the remount, for th.-the proposals of the Ear-marking Association are, excellent ami ample and should be adopted. Ilii-a— Delation deals with the grave dancer which u:i doubtedly exists of the possibility of our breeding stock being sold to the foreigner. The original and valuable note which it strikes i- the proposal to offer premiums for the ear-aaarklng of suitable -t. -. these premiums t" be given only one for each aaimal, but to put no restriction whatever oa the move nieni- or dealings in these ear-marked hones, be road the penalty which i- to he placed oa their exportation. It will I*- seen that the base of the Bar marking Association strikes at the root of the p-mount difficulty, inasmuch as it eoaceraa Itself Chleflv with the retention of the actual breeding stock." since the above was written, the Knglish government, through it- Board of Agriculture, ha- appro priated 00,000 for the purpose of encouraging tJ breeding of the army hone in England. — 11. a. i.uck. in Thoroughbred Record.
