Distance marching rates, infantry v cavalry

[Steve Kaye]

Ok. Concensus of opinion is that although a horse CAN physically eat and walk with a nosebag (evidence cited is working draught horses but suprisingly NOT Hackney cab horses) it isn't recommended and does indeed cause colic.

Vindex, thanks for checking. Much appreciated. The idea of the nosebag being used while walking is not critical to the model of infantry and cavalry mutual support but I was worried, if it proved false, that it would damage the whole concept.

As for the colic issue, I imagine the horses would have been trained every bit as much as the legionaries. Any that did "not make the grade" (etymology = horse fails to draw cart up hill??) would have been removed from the cavalry.

As a tidbit, I remember seeing horses pulling light carts in Indonesia while munching in a nosebag. Small, skinny beasts.

Regards, Steve