Army Remount Service

Army Remount Service
Active	1887–1942
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Army

The Army Remount Service was the body responsible for the purchase and training of horses and mules for the British Army between 1887 and 1942.

Prior to 1887, the purchase of horses was the responsibility of individual regimental colonels, in the case of cavalry regiments, or of agents acting on behalf of the artillery and engineers. This system worked well enough in peacetime but rapidly broke down during war when demand exceeded supply, prices rose and, the price that could be paid per horse being set by the Government, regimental purchasing officers and agents were frequently left with the most inferior animals. Consequently, in 1887 the Remount Department was set up in order to ensure the uniformity and suitability of the animals purchased for the army, and their training. Owners were encouraged to register a proportion of their horses with the Department, the Department having the option of purchasing these animals for a fixed sum in time of emergency. In recompense for this, the owners were paid a pension of 10/- per year for each animal.

In 1891, the service became part of the Army Service Corps (ASC) and the majority of other ranks at remount depots were drawn from the ASC.

Initially, there were three remount depots, the Remount Establishment at Woolwich (which provided horses for the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers and Army Service Corps) and two in Dublin (for the cavalry), with a total Army establishment of 12,500 horses and mules. The Boer War showed these arrangements to have been entirely inadequate (326,000 horses and 51,000 mules were lost, mainly through disease), so the animal establishment was increased to 25,000 and two additional depots were authorized, at Melton Mowbray, and Arborfield. In 1911, a further depot, the privately owned Pilckard's Farm in Chiddingfold near Godalming, was given to the War Office by its owners for a period of 21 years. These depots provided total remount accommodation in the United Kingdom for some 1,200 animals.

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