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365 Days in Horse Country – The Horses of World War I


Blog by Michael Stuart Webb | June 18th, 2013


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