Boot and Saddle by JG GilberdHorses
Horses for the Force were purchased as required. All horses were inspected by a veterinary surgeon and certified by him as to age, soundness, and general fitness before payment was made for them. Each member of the AC Mounted Branch was furnished with a horse which was fire-branded on the hooves with a crown and number, the Officer or Constable taking charge of it was held accountable for the manner in which it was treated, and the general condition in which it was kept. The following extract from AC Regulations is worth quoting: "Should it be found that any member of the Force, whether Officer or otherwise, either ill-treats or permits to be ill-treated or neglected, the horse told off to him, or any other horse under his charge, he will, in addition to such other punishment as may be inflicted upon him, be dismissed the service." No member of the Foot constabulary except under special circumstances was to be mounted, nor was any mounted Constable to be dismounted without the authority of the Commissioner. Each Officer in charge of a district was required to keep a register of the horses under his charge, in which their age, height, distinguishing marks, branded letters and numbers were to be carefully entered, and on no occasion were horses belonging to one district to be ridden or otherwise used by Officers and Constables of another district. All horses not in actual use in the district were kept in a reserve paddock for that purpose, under the charge of a competent NCO who made reports on the state in which he found them. The NCO was required to keep a horse record book containing details of all horses received by him, and as occasion required forward reports of the general condition of animals under his charge and their fitness for duty or otherwise. He was not to permit any of the horses to be used or to leave his charge without an order in writing from an Inspector or the Commissioner. He was allowed a supply of forage for the purpose of giving an occasional feed to any horse that for want of pasture in the paddock might be in need of it, and the forage so supplied had to be accounted for at stated intervals. Officers in charge of districts were to see that every horse under them, as well as its rider, had a fair share of the work to be done and were not to allow some of the horses to be 'petted' and kept idle in the stables while others were being injured by severe usage and neglect, nor were any horses to be kept rugged in stables unless sick. All members of the Mounted Force were to ensure that saddles were carefully fitted to horses' backs and Officers in charge of districts held men accountable for horses in their charge having sore backs or saddle galls (which in most cases are caused by hard riding in badly fitting saddles). No excuse was accepted for a horse being rendered unserviceable from such cause, unless it could be satisfactorily proved that some accidental and unlooked-for circumstance made it necessary the horse should be so used; and unless the cause could be traced to some source other than neglect, the Constable to whom the horse was told off could be charged for the forage the animal consumed while unfit for use, in addition to such other punishments as might be awarded. No horse was to travel at a pace exceeding five miles per hour, unless in cases of emergency, such as the pursuit of offenders etc, where speed was absolutely necessary. When any horse from disease or injuries received became totally unfit, a report of the circumstances was to be sent to the Commissioner, when an order would be given for its disposal, but in the event of a limb being fractured or any other severe injury the Officer in charge was to at once put an end to its misery by killing it on the spot, forwarding a report of the case in the normal manner. A table stating the daily prescribed ration for each horse was issued, and a copy was hung in every stable wherein Police horses were permanently foraged, and the party having charge of the horses was held responsible that all animals received the prescribed ration. No mounted Officer or Constable under any consideration was to use in harness the horse set apart for him unless ordered to do so for Government purposes by his superior Officer, nor was any member of the Force to use his horse unless in the execution of his duties. In the event of any horse being sold by the Force it was to be disposed of by public auction in such a manner as the Commissioner might direct. Prior to sale it was branded 'condemned' together with a private mark to prevent fraud. All branding was to be done on the horses' hooves. Jim Gilberd, 1989 |
