365
Days in Horse Country – The Horses of
World War I
Images of World
War I often show soldiers in trenches, but what most people don’t realize is that
many horses gave their lives in this conflict. In fact, it is estimated that six
million horses were used during World War I, most of which were killed in
battle.
Many of the horses that fought on the battlefields of Europe came from the United States. The United States exported nearly one million horses to Europe for the ware. Very few returned.
The equine
population in the United States was depleted as a result, leaving a scant
number of horses behind. In fact, horse populations were depleted all
throughout Europe by the end of the war.
Horse populations made a comeback in Europe during the decades that
followed, only to be adversely affected again by World War II
Michael