ABSTRACT
By the turn of the twentieth century, the British public had become well informed about the plight of animals. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was well established, and working horses were accorded unprecedented legal protection from overwork and mistreatment. This awareness of animal welfare now extended to the military horse. During the Boer War (1899–1902) the British Army’s existing systems of horse supply and management proved wholly inadequate. Horses were repeatedly issued to units when unfit for active service, and to soldiers who were ill-equipped to care for them. These failures had a serious impact on the soldier-horse relationship. Contemporary accounts enable us to consider why its breakdown had such catastrophic human, and humane implications. The Boer War’s horse debacle put increasing pressure upon the Army to reform.
