troopers horse 2

[hbtoday98]

saddle blankets

[hbtoday98]

saddle blankets short

[hbtoday98]

THE FOLDS IN THE BLANKET IMPACTS ON ITS LENGHT THE SHORT ONE'S COULD BE "CHANNEL FOLDED ON MAY NEEDED A SECOND BLANKET.TO PROTECT THE HORSE FROM THE GIRTH STRAPS
THE WHITE ONE WITH TASSELS BE COULD NZ WW1THAT WAS SOLD IN CAMP AS IN BARRY AND MATTHEW O'SULLIVAN BOOK NZ ARMY PERSONAL EQUIPMENT.
IN FOOTE'S PHOTO THERE MULTI STRIPED BLANKETS ON THE CACTUS DOES ANY BODY HAVE COLOUR FOR THESE WAS THIS NZ WW1 ISSUE .
THE POINT IS TO GET A TROOP AS ACCURATELY AS POSSIABLE.
CHEERS MAL

[Callum Forbes]

Re. your bottom photo, looking good, Mal!

[sundown]

Blanket.jpg (13.85 KiB) Viewed 12211 times

This is the wool blanket which I sell to reenactment people. It is the nearest to the original that we can get, both in colour and weight. The size of the blanket on the horse depends on how it is folded. The British folded their blankets differently to the Australians, thus the British ones finished up smaller. The blanket is there to protect the horses back, the thicker the better - the leather sweat flap on your V attatchment should protect your horse from the girth buckles. If the buckles are touching the horse use a longer girth - there were several sizes issued.
Hope this is of some help

Donna
http://www.ethosleather.co.nz

[hbtoday98]

thanks donna

The load carried by a Mounted Rifleman's horse in the field is considerable, and may be described here in some detail, to give the reader some idea of what is required of these horses in endurance. The description given is of the minimum load carried when setting out page 46on a "stunt" (as all individual operations against the enemy came to be called), consisting of bare essentials only.

The Mounted Rifleman wore, on his person, a leather bandolier containing 150 rounds of ammunition, bayonet, service rifle, and haversack, the latter usually stuffed with tins of the inevitable "bully" beef and army biscuits. The saddlery on his mount consisted of head-stall and bridle, headrope, picketing rope, saddle, and blanket. In addition to this the horse carried, slung round his neck, a leather sand muzzle, which was slipped on in place of the nosebag when he had finished his meagre feed, to prevent him eating sand and dirt; this being a bad habit quickly indulged in by many horses when hungry.

In this sand-muzzle the trooper often carried his mess-tin, or "billy" for cooking or making tea, and his dandy brush for grooming. The next item was the horse bandolier, slung round the horse's neck and containing an additional 90 rounds of ammunition. Strapped on the front of the saddle were two leather wallets, probably containing towel, soap, spare shirt, socks, and what rations the rider could not get into his haversack; strapped on top of these again would be the greatcoat and one blanket.

The men usually set out with forty-eight hours' rations and an iron ration, while the horse ration for three days (27 lbs.) would be carried. This horsefeed would be distributed page 47between two nosebags, tied to the side of the saddle, and a sandbag, round which might be rolled a ground or bivouac sheet, strapped across the rear of the saddle. Also slung to the side of the saddle would be the canvas water-bucket which served the soldier for the watering of his horse and his own ablutions, and his water-bottle. When the Desert was behind them, and our troops were in Palestine, where a sufficiency of water was usually obtainable, two or three water-bottles would be carried by each man.

Besides the above, some men carried a spare haversack made into a saddlebag, and strapped to the side of the saddle, while at least one man in each section of four had to carry as well a sack for anchoring the picket line of his section in the sand. Another addition to the load which was often seen was a small bundle of firewood strapped to the rear of the saddle, this being often unobtainable on the march, and a necessity for the production of a New Zealander's stand-by, a "boil-up" of tea. The tunic, which was needed at night, was usually carried strapped to the top of the load, the rider wearing an armless singlet or shirt which protected his body from sunburn

[hbtoday98]

Blanket.jpg

This is the wool blanket which I sell to reenactment people. It is the nearest to the original that we can get, both in colour and weight. The size of the blanket on the horse depends on how it is folded. The British folded their blankets differently to the Australians, thus the British ones finished up smaller. The blanket is there to protect the horses back, the thicker the better - the leather sweat flap on your V attatchment should protect your horse from the girth buckles. If the buckles are touching the horse use a longer girth - there were several sizes issued.
Hope this is of some help

Donna
http://www.ethosleather.co.nz

THE BLANKET ENDS UP SMALLER WHEN YOU "CHANNEL FOLD"THE FIRST PHOTOS THE BLANKETS DONT LOOK THICK AS THEY WOULD FOLDED THAT WAY.
"YEOMANY AND MOUNTED RIFLE TRAINING 1912" PAGE48 SADDLING PRINTED LONDON.
"MANUAL OF HORSEMASTERSHIP,EQUITATION AND DRIVING 1929"REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION MELBOURNE.PAGE 55 SADDLING
DOULBE FOLD,CHANNEL FOLD ,ENVELOPE FOLD.WHICH DID THE AUSTRALIANS USE.

THE TOP PHOTO'S ARE NZ Bess poses with trooper Mckenzie AND OZ AND ARE THE SHORT BLANKETS SO I THROUGHT THEY ARE SMALLER IN SIZE . THE NEED FOR SECOND BLANKET IS A "QUOTE"ABOUT THE CHANNEL FOLD THAT CAN BE DOWN LOADED AT http://www.militaryhorse.org/upsaddle/manuals.htm.

ANIMAL MANAGMENT SADDLES AND SORE BACKS PAGE 172 TO 180

[Steve_Butler]

From the updates page today:


Sergeant "Bill" Stevens of the Auckland Mounted Rifles takes the opportunity of a saddle inspection to show off his beloved steed - Turkish Palestine 1918.
I went hunting through the "Anderson Photographic Collection" as I was sure I had scanned recently a number of "side-shots" of the troopers and their mounts - I was especially keen to post this as it shows folding (thickness) and placement of horse saddle blankets - this particular photo must show the regulation folding and position, as Sergeant Stevens has only just saddled up, another trooper is in the process in the right background (the blanket square appears to be folded the same size). The rest of the Trooper's saddles and cloths still sit in line after the inspection.

[hbtoday98]

saddle inspection as one can there are no edge's to be seen this I think is a channel fold the horse in the back has a cape fan saddle with the envelope fold which come down the side of the horse more as clean seen in this photo.