As mentioned above, it’s very, very similar to training a dog to the gun.
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Much like dogs or any other animal, it just takes time for them to get used to it.
During re-enactments, with other horses around, it seems to make them more comfortable.
I still have to catch myself what distance from his ear I fire from, more than once he’s gotten mad and I’ve ended up on the ground.
Roger that. I grew up ranching and hunting, and some horses handle it some don't. The last horse I took hunting could handle gun fire if I was in the saddle, but if I was dismounted she would go nuts. Everyone of them is different, just like us!!!Probably in much the same way dogs are trained. They either get used to it or they're deemed "gun shy" in which case they become someone's pet instead.
I know a horse ownin woman who packs a 41 mag. I’ll ask her if she’s ever tried it.
Probably in much the same way dogs are trained. They either get used to it or they're deemed "gun shy" in which case they become someone's pet instead.
They go deaf.
I tried firing a 22 once from horse back when I was a kid. It did not end well.
That would be a long heavy pistol to fire from a horse and attempt to draw and holster while riding I'd think.
There is a lot of information in there.Mounted troops and Cavalry trained constantly with their horses.
Enough that the horse would often respond to bugle calls (like "Boot and Saddles" or "Assembly" beyond the more obvious marching orders).
The manuals of the day suggest acclimatizing the horses slowly. So, you'd picket them behind the line at the range. They'd shuttle back and for with the Relays, too. So, it was about the group activity.
The manuals also suggested finding that combination of horse and rider which seemed to "work" best. To be observant if a horse preferred a specific trooper.
There was more to it, naturally. The manuals suggested that, during training, you'd start by holding back an ear of the horse (hacking your horse's ear in a saber charge being considered poor form). The right ear being back was also good fro introducing the horse to pistol fire, which, at the gallop is going to be very close to the horse's ear. A carbine or rifle was easier as shooting from the gallop was not particularly effective. The length of the barrel also put the muzzle further in front of the horse.
Now, the most complicated thing was for Mounted Infantry. The horse was their personnel carrier, and you dismounted for combat. So, one dude in four was stuck having to hold four horses by the curb chains while everyone else was off Doing Things! This too meant training, since the horse wanted to be part of the group activities, too.
And one gets a calm horse that trusts you in everything. The other gets you a horse that may or may not try to buck at any moment.I'm not horse master, but there do seem to be two camps when it comes to training horses.... one is calm and gentle, but firm.... the other seems to be more about dominance.
A guy rents a horse to go elk hunting.The wrangler told him what ever you do make sure you shoot off the horse. The hunter rides into a meadow and sees a nice bull. He carefully takes aim, fires and wakes up in the hospital. The wrangler sitting at his bedside asks the hunter what happened. The hunters tells him he had shot an elk off the horse just like he had told him, and the horse had bucked him off then proceed to stomp on him. The wrangler told the hunter, No, I said shoot off the horse.
Uhm, I'm pretty sure I did not say that, and certainly not in this thread.CapnMac: "Do people fear owning their own business because they have to fill out government forms with all their personal info or fear getting a driver's license because the government collects all your info and takes your picture?"
A guy rents a horse to go elk hunting.The wrangler told him what ever you do make sure you shoot off the horse. The hunter rides into a meadow and sees a nice bull. He carefully takes aim, fires and wakes up in the hospital. The wrangler sitting at his bedside asks the hunter what happened. The hunters tells him he had shot an elk off the horse just like he had told him, and the horse had bucked him off then proceed to stomp on him. The wrangler told the hunter, No, I said shoot off the horse.
All the early U.S. cavalry was in fact Mounted Infantry. That included the 1st and 2nd Dragoons and the regiment of Mounted Rifles. The first designated "cavalry" didn't come until 1855, with the 1st and 2nd Cavalry regiments. The 3rd Cavalry was organized in early 1861.Then later in 1861, all these regiments were redesignated and renumbered, in the order of seniority, becoming the 1st through 6th Cavalry. The 7th and later regiments were post-Civil War.Now, the most complicated thing was for Mounted Infantry. The horse was their personnel carrier, and you dismounted for combat. So, one dude in four was stuck having to hold four horses by the curb chains while everyone else was off Doing Things!