War Horse: A History of the Military Horse and Rider | 
| Author: Louis A. Dimarco
Publisher: Westholme Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $18.78
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Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 317528
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.4
ISBN: 1594160341
Dewey Decimal Number: 355
EAN: 9781594160349
ASIN: 1594160341
Publication Date: April 30, 2008
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Product Description
For more than four thousand years, the horse and rider have been an integral part of warfare. Armed with weapons and accessories ranging from a simple javelin to the hand-held laser designator, the horse and rider have fought from the steppes of central Asia to the plains of North America. Understanding the employment of the military horse is key to understanding the successes and the limitations of military operations and campaigns throughout history. Over the centuries, horses have been used to pull chariots, support armor-laden knights, move scouts rapidly over harsh terrain, and carry waves of tightly formed cavalry. In War Horse: A History of the Military Horse and Rider, Louis A. DiMarco discusses all of the uses of horses in battle, including the Greek, Persian, and Roman cavalry, the medieval knight and his mount, the horse warriorsHuns, Mongols, Arabs, and Cossacksthe mounted formations of Frederick the Great and Napoleon, and mounted unconventional fighters, such as American Indians, the Boers, and partisans during World War II. The book also covers the weapons and forces which were developed to oppose horsemen, including longbowmen, pike armies, cannon, muskets, and machine guns. The development of organizations and tactics are addressed beginning with those of the chariot armies and traced through the evolution of cavalry formations from Alexander the Great to the Red Army of World War II. In addition, the author examines the training and equipping of the rider and details the types of horses used as military mounts at different points in history, the breeding systems that produced those horses, and the techniques used to train and control them. Finally, the book reviews the importance of the horse and rider to battle and military operations throughout history, and concludes with a survey of the current military use of horses. War Horse is a comprehensive look at this oldest and most important aspect of military history, the relationship between human and animal, a weapons system that has been central to warfare longer than any other.
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| Customer Reviews:
Reveals new insights and debunks old myths June 16, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
For those interested in horsemanship, this book ranks with Vladimir Littauer's The Development of Modern Riding. For those interested in military history, this book ranks with the works of John Keegan. Lt. Col. Louis A. DiMarco reveals new insights and debunks old myths as he explains the evolution of military riding. He discusses how cavalry tactics and strategies evolved; the impact of culture, geography and terrain on horsemanship; the cavalry's tactical and strategic value to skillful generals such as Alexander, Saladin, Subotai, Napoleon, Lee and Allenby; and the reasons for the sudden disappearance of large horse cavalry formations in war.
He explains the transition from the chariot to horseback, from armored knights to light cavalry, from the American Army's total abandonment of horses to a rushed and limited redeployment of horse and man in 2001. He describes the "visionary leadership of Frederick and Seydlitz" at Rossbach. For me, it brought to mind Churchill's descriptions in his biography of Marlborough wherein Prince Eugene says to John Churchill: "He, who has not seen this, has seen nothing."
The author fills the book with fascinating "factoids". Do you wish to know the weight of a knight's armor? You will find it here. Do you wish to learn about how the Appaloosa horse developed? You will find it here. Interested in the impact of the American War Between the States on cavalry formations and fighting tactics that Europe's generals missed? You will find it here.
Over the years, I have read a great deal of military history: much of it written by historians, journalists as well as by field commanders. This book combines the knowledge of a soldier, the insights of a horseman and the research of the historian. Well written, the book will interest anyone seriously interested in horses, military history or both.
Excellent examination of the history of the military horse. May 1, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Lou DiMarco has written an excellent book on this topic, bringing together both his obvious knowledge of the horse and the knowledge gained through his military career. While I've read many other books on horses, this book is the first one I've read which so completely, and entertainingly, synthesizes equestrian history, material culture, and military history. Simply excellent.
War Horse is a complete history on the topic, going back into vast antiquity right up to the closing days of the cavalry, and even on to the present day. The book is complete in every sense, going into the horses themselves, the nature of and what this all means in context. All of this is placed in context with examples from representative battles from various periods.
No significant historical period is omitted. Battles and periods as far reaching as ancient Egypt up to the Boer War, and beyond that to the current era are all discussed. It's fascinating to be able to read about the Battle of Kadesh, 1275 BC, and the cavalry of World War Two in the same book.
Needless to say, writing a book of like this would be a daunting task. A book could well be written on any one era, and on any one topic. Approaching a complete synthesis would be difficult in the extreme. And yet, in spite of that, Ltc DiMarco has managed to do this, and has also managed to keep the entire text engaging and entertaining. This book will be very much enjoyed by those whose interest have brought them here to this site. But beyond that, as the horse in war is so much a part of the history of the horse, it should be enjoyed by anyone with a serious interest in the history of man's interaction with the horse.
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