The horse , always at the side of man, has really made history … transport, agriculture and wars … in this heart-warming photo from 1918, 650 soldiers, who survived the First World War, line up to pay homage to their four-legged companions who died during the battle.
Over 8 million horses, mules and donkeys died during the war. We also have to remember the dogs, oxen and pigs, the number of animals that died during that terrible conflict reaches 100,000, excluding the 200,000 pigeons and doves. Everyone lived in hardship between mud and bombs, sharing the front with 60 million soldiers from all over Europe. But what exactly did the mules do in war? Actually they were fundamental in the mountains, along with oxen and dogs they were used for the transport of cannon parts, ammunition, supplies and water. Discover now all our trips, tours, holidays and horse trekking. The carrier pigeons, on the other hand, were used to send messages to the troops and, along with the dogs, they were used against their will as “meat for slaughter” to detect the presence of toxic gases. Finally, dogs were used to find the wounded and had a very important psychological role for the soldiers inside and outside the trench throughout the war.
The history of the Lipizzan horse, a breed that takes its name from the town of Lipica , in Slovenia , where the breeding was founded, is closely linked to the history of the Habsburgs, who reigned in much of Europe during the Baroque age for 650 years. At that time, horses represented a resource […]