Horses in the British Army 1750 to 1950 (Hardback)
Imprint: Pen & Sword Military
Pages: 208
ISBN: 9781473863712
Published: 17th October 2017
(click here for international delivery rates)
Order within the next 8 hours, 9 minutes to get your order processed the next working day!
Need a currency converter? Check XE.com for live rates
These days horses are mainly used for leisure activities the non-rider knows little about them in a modern context, let alone a historical one. For those who would like to know more, this book encompasses the whole spectrum of horses in the British army over a 200-year period, from their acquisition and training, through their care and feeding and their transportation to theatres of war overseas. Janet Macdonald describes how, until mechanization took over in the twentieth century, the British army used horses on a grand scale. The cavalry, messengers and officers rode horses, and horses pulled guns and wagons full of supplies. Their versatility made them almost as important as weaponry. But most men of the time were unlikely to know how to ride and had to be taught, and the horses had to be trained to tolerate extreme situations in which, civilian horses would simply panic and run. This process is explained here in fascinating detail. Janet Macdonald's study promises to be the standard work on this neglected aspect of the British army's history.
First-class history. 10/10
The Great War magazine, January 2019
Horses in the British Army offers an abundance of well researched and informed material in a slack and dilatory compendium. Both books are rewarding; one is compelling.
Horse Talk
Read the complete review online here.
A comprehensive history of the use of horses by the British army.
Heavy Horse World, Spring 2018
A tremendously interesting work.
José Manuél Rico Cortés (Mister JM) - Miniaturas JM
Read the full Spanish review here.
Because of its emphasis on ‘horse care’ this volume will probably appeal to readers who are primarily ‘horse-enthusiasts’. Readers seeking information about the care of horses within a very specific military environment may also find it worthy of their attention. Readers interested in combat use of the horse within the British army are certainly likely to find some information relating to that use.
NZ Crown Mines
About Janet Macdonald
Janet Macdonald has published books on numerous subjects. Her first book on naval history was Feeding Nelson’s Navy: The True Story of Food at Sea in the Georgian Era; her second, the British Navy’s Victualling Board, 1793-1815: Management Competence and Incompetence. She took her MA in Maritime History at the Greenwich Maritime Institute, London, and her PhD at King’s College London, where she was awarded a Laughton Scholarship. Her thesis was on the administration of naval victualling. Her most recent books are From Boiled Beef to Chicken Tikka: 500 Years of Feeding the British Army, Sir John Moore: The Making of a Controversial Hero and Horses in the British Army 1750-1850.