Your 186x Cavalry unit gets new horses. Now what? I'm sure they've either never been ridden before or have never been around big bright clanky things or metal things that go bang. How did the army make a horse into a cavalry horse? And, who got the job?

my hubby used to break in horses... perhaps the same way? guess it  could be new entertainment for the men.

Dave,
Federal cavalry regiments were pulled off the line and sent to a remount depot such as the one at Geisboro. The Army specified for green broke horses which in theory at horses that are brken to both bit and saddle. That didn't always happen however. Troopers drew a remount much like any other peice of government equipment. It was up to them to break and train the horse for service.  The cav manuals included sections in school of the trooper on how to accomplish this. That is the "by the book" method. There are plenty of accounts of troopers receiveing remounts and immediately heading back out onto the line or patrol or a raid what have you with green untried horses.

My favorite is that of the 1st DC (later reorganized into 1st Maine). They were recruited (8 companies) as the 3rd Maine Cav. They were sent to DC and were equiped but not mounted there. They next wet to Bermuda Hundred and served as cavalry but unmounted for some time. 2 days prior to Wilson's raid, they received their horse equipments. One day prior they got their horses and then off they went on the raid. They had been in Federal service for roughly 9 months prior to getting those mounts and I am quite certain they were green as grass as there were a number of casualties with injuries indicative of falling off a horse.

How a cavalry horse was made has changed very little from then until now. You start off getting the horse accostomed to the saddle and tack, then weapons. Teach how to ride in formation and then fighting. The advantage they had was numbers. Horses being herd animals feed off of the strengths and fears of the herd. That is one reason why when training a new mount today, it is almost always better to introduce the new horse into a group of more experienced horses. How fast the horse learns is entirely up to the horse.

Dave Myrick

I have been reading the Time Life book at work while on guard duty. The pictures at Geisboro are awesome. The stables and tents on row after row. There are some other pics in there of another camp (I can’t recall). If you like pics (I know you do) check them out.

There is an account about the 16th Texas Cav. CSA. They were recruited and brought their own mounts or were issued mounts in Texas. When they arrived in Arkansas they were dismounted and used as dismounted infantry. I believe if I brought my own horse I would have been miffed just a tad. Incidentally, Benjamin Helvey of company D, served in the 16th Texas from its formation until the end of the war.