Frederick14Va
Sergeant Major
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
- Location
- Virginia
Interesting note though: TBs were considered THE horse for improvement of remounts; odd how they are now considered spindly-legged and fragile now (which honestly I think is a reputation they don't deserve...their still considered a sport horse go to).
Another thing to consider is that the TB's that exist today are much different than what was deemed a TB in the 1860's... The national breed registries and blood line pedigree forte established to ensure purity of a given breed didn't exist as we know it today back then. This all came about much later. The TB's later also had significant cross breeding into their blood lines (mostly Arab horse blood) to produce a different spirited, spunky, sleeker, faster horse with higher levels of endurance... which in turn altered the appearance and confirmation of what is called a TB....
Many other horse blood lines of other breeds were also altered in similar fashion.... infusing usually either Arab or Draft blood into them to create a slightly different breed of horse yet might still bear the same breed namesake.... then the breed registries came along locking in what had been recreated and established.... Many of the horse breed and blood lines known in the 1860's no longer exist as they were.... most horse breeds existent today didn't exist as they are back then.... Many of the breeds we are most familiar with today... many of them didn't exist in this country (US) at that time.... even if the same breed name is used...
The horse and its evolution/breeding have changed quite a bit.... even within a given equine breed line you may have different blood lines with differences..... but still bear the same breed title. As an example... take the "Morgan" horse breed, a breed that was very popular in the 1860's for both cavalry and artillery horses.... Today on one end you have the "Lippitt" Morgans... that have a significant infusion of Arab horse blood... hence you have a smaller thinner spunky tea cup footed show horse... Another end you have the "Brunk" Morgans... which have some draft blood infused... They tend to be calmer, larger, big boned, big footed, hefty, bulldoggish solid work horse without as much flash... These are also the descendants of the old Cavalry Remount breeding programs and probably the closest one can get to what originally existed during the war.... Put them side by side and most hardly even look like the same breed...
When reading about breeds and horses that existed during the Civil War... I always caution folks that it might be a misnomer equally comparing one today that may bear the same breed title... as what it may have been in the war era... Take an original 1859 McClellan saddle... and see how many horses it fits today..... many would be surprised to see how few it actually does.... Most of the modern day McClellan reproduction saddles have been altered in design incorporating what is known as a Quarter-Horse Tree... larger, flatter and wider.... hence it better fits the wider backed larger barrel body horses that are more common today... from the typically smaller narrower elliptical bodied horses that were most common then...