Although Warhammer is set in a Renaissance-like timeframe, a more modern version of the cavalry horse is the Australian Waler horse. It thrived in the extreme climate of the Australian outback and displayed its stamina in World War I (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waler_horse and http://www.walerhorse.com/whsa). It has various bloodlines, including Arabian, Thoroughbred and Percheron. The trooper version of the Waler horse can carry up to 238 pounds (108 kilograms), day after day. Its gaits are considered ideal for a cavalry mount, since its fast walk can progress into a steady, level canter, without first trotting; trotting tends to dislodge gear, which results in soreness to the horse’s back and is noisy.
Most of the early Walers had a fair percentage of Thoroughbred blood. While serving in North Africa, some Walers defeated local Egyptian horses and assorted Thoroughbreds. In 1919, horses from the
Anzac Mounted Division won 5 of the 6 events at Heliopolis, near Cairo.
Heavier versions (such as the artillery version) of the Waler can carry or pull heavy loads.
We all still have cavalry, it's just that outside of parades they swap their horses for AFVs or MBTs
Seriously though, most armies used horse mounted cavalry in WW1 (some were also using Camels). In some cases horse mounted cav were used well into WW2. There was a RN submarine that came under machine gun fire from Hungarian Lancers when they were operating near the Hungarian coast line. Mongolian horse fought the Japanese during the border conflict in the '30s. there are many example we could go into.
Although i'd like to take a moment to dispel the myth of the Polish Lancers charging german tanks. Like the previously mentioned Hungarian Lancers they actually fought dismounted, much like all the other cavalry had back in WW1, the horses were to travel across the battlefield then the enemy would be engaged on foot.
Not that i want to diminish the efforts of the Anzac Cavalry units, they performed outstandingly, it's just fair to put these things into perspective.
Oh and moved to Back Alley.
Didn't US and UK special forces use horses, and thus be defined as cavalry, in some operation(s) in Afghanistan where such vehicles may not be usable?
They did (and presumably still do), but as previously stated, cavalry since WW1 has been primarily horse borne infantry.
The closest that you will actually see to horse-soldiers would be mounted policemen today.
It seems like the Army is array of dying. With the 1CD getting armor, The 2nd ACR traveling the way of the Stryker army infantry, and now the Blackhorse is abounding of 11Bs? It ability about-face out the Brave Rifles are all we'll accept larboard abreast from the bounded army squadrons.
(07-02-2010 06:46 AM)jacosawilliam Wrote: [ -> ]It seems like the Army is array of dying. With the 1CD getting armor, The 2nd ACR traveling the way of the Stryker army infantry, and now the Blackhorse is abounding of 11Bs? It ability about-face out the Brave Rifles are all we'll accept larboard abreast from the bounded army squadrons.
