War Horse: Mounting the Cavalry with America's Finest Horses

by Phil Livingston, Ed Roberts

War Horse is the story of the U.S. Army Remount Program, which acquired well-bred stallions from private owners and placed them with farmers and ranchers across the country for breeding to selected mares. These stallions of impressive bloodlines-Thoroughbreds, Arabians, Morgans, and Lippizaners-were bred carefully, developing a cadre of military-worthy horses for the United States and its allies around the world. This book shows how these horses positively contributed to the outcome of conflicts and wars waged the world over and how the war horses also had strong civilian demand and dramatically influenced equestrian bloodlines across our country.

352 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2003

Reviews

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a well-researched chronicle of the fight to mount the American cavalry with good horses. At one time, racehorse owners like August Belmont were donating stallions to the government so that American soldiers would have better mounts. I mean this is obviously for a certain audience, but I really liked it.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Until 1943 the cavalry was a regular part of the US Army. Starting in 1904 the Army realized that it was becoming more difficult to obtain standard, quality horses for its troops and as a result started a breeding program to encourage the raising of Army quality mounts and pack animals. This is an academic history of the Remount Program.