Boot and Saddle by JG GilberdBoer War - Men and Horses
A 'Times' correspondent rated the New Zealanders as the finest mounted soldiers in the War. They earned praise for the care of their animals, and the casualty rates through sickness and other causes were far lower than other participants in this struggle. One report puts the British animal casualty rate for the three years they were in Africa as high as 350,000 horses and mules. The Boer were reported to have lost over 400,000 animals. The men from New Zealand were 'rough and ready' characters who adapted well to the veldt conditions. They were better equiped for the type of operations; more like their enemy the Boer. Unlike their counterparts in the British Mounted Regiments, who had a heavy saddle, a carbine and a sabre or lance, plus extra equipment based on operations in Europe. It was said that to hear a British Cavalry Regiment on the move was like a 'tin can circus' - so much noise. This was to the Boers' advantage. However, the RHA Batteries who supported the Colonials were adaptable and worked well with our people. Jim Gilberd, 1989 |
