Heroic Horses: Tales of Equine Courage and Endurance in Wars from Waterloo to Korea

Heroic Horses tells the tale of a number of military horses and their contributions in a range of wars and conflicts across the globe from the Napoleonic era to the Korean War. The book recounts the stories and exploits of some famous war horses and some far less well-known, along with those of their riders, and in so doing describes the history of those wars and campaigns. The theme is the heroic nature of the horses’ service and how different breeds have made varying contributions, based upon the breed characteristics and the individual nature of the mounts concerned. The breeds of horses which feature include; Thoroughbreds, Arabians, Basuto Ponies, Mustangs, Australian Walers, South African Boerpeerds, Hunters, Appaloosas, and even a Mongolian Pony, along with mentions of numerous others. The objective is to tell the war story from the horse’s perspective and hence understand the campaigns from an equine perspective. This is the first book that will tell the stories of many equine heroes, rather than of a particular horse, and the first to base the history not only around the war concerned but also around the breed. AUTHOR: Captain Duncan Forer joined the Royal Navy in 1988 having completed his degree in Maths and Anthropology at Durham University and a PGCE at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge. After Dartmouth he had a range of instructional and sea going appointments, during which time he became Portsmouth Command Light Heavy Weight Champion. His last job as a Lieutenant was taking young officers to sea in HMS BRAVE, visiting South America, the Falklands and South Georgia. Promoted to Lieutenant Commander in 1997, he took charge of the Training Support department at HMS SULTAN, after which he studied for a Masters in Education at Brunel University.