"Russia trains infantry to fight on horseback" Topic

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Why not? Yet 2 men per horse isn't going to make the horse last long.
If it did somewhere in the last 400 years it would have been done.

Well they are running out of APCs and IFVs … That demonstrates somewhat a move of desperation IMO. Even if they use them a "Light Horse", i.e. Infantry mounted on horseback for transport.

Also heard report today Cuba has sent troops too. Like the North Koreans. Putin may be running out of bodies to push into the meatgrinder …

Once fully trained, these units are expected to support reconnaissance missions, small-scale assaults, and logistical movements in mine-contaminated or off-road environments.

Sounds reasonable. They were used in WW2 and with winter coming how much terrain is going to get mucky and more difficult?

Albeit that does make some sense. However, did the Russians have a lot of horse mounted units before the war started and after suffering heavy losses to Ukraine's forces ?

Will these horse mounted units be any more effective than other Russian units ?

Still sounds like they are running out of assets, IMO …

How many other modern armies have horse mounted units on a large scale ? Including will be doing some combat ops, etc.

We will have to wait and see. However, based on previous accounts of Russian Forces in combat. I think we will see some dead horse on the battlefield along with many more dead Russian troops …

Desperate.

Horses have two big advantages over APC and recce vehicles- they're much, much quieter and don't need lots of POL to run, just more easily carried fodder.

On the other hand it's all disaster. They require as much care and attention as any vehicle (if not more), they're not small arms/shrapnel proof and they can decide to do their own thing at inconvenient times. Also NVG will pick them out 100m away through very thick ground cover, jungle or through a forest canopy. Being very quiet doesn't matter if the enemy are tracking your heat bloom.

But like any tool, they can work if they're used correctly.

"Horses have two big advantages over APC and recce vehicles…"

Plus, they're edible… ;-)

No one can be surprised that these barbarians, who completely ignore the meaning of the word humanity, take into account the potential suffering of these noble beasts in the 21st century… they were already using donkeys and mules… soon we'll see dogs again with a mine on their backs to blow up a tank…

Anything to send them to the front… wounded, hired workers, and deceived people… dangerous prison inmates… Koreans… Africans… elderly people… people on bicycles… on skateboards… everything serves to wear down the enemy…

Armand

Russian units have been using horses (and donkeys) since 2023. These were primarily mountain rifle units, as well as troops from traditional steppe regions (Bashkirs, Kalmyks).
No one rides them into attack – these horses are used to deliver cargo to the front lines, especially in off-road conditions. Horses don't require roads, and they have other advantages, which have been described here… Special cloaks protect them from thermal imaging.
By the way, Ukrainians also use horses and have for quite a long time…

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And the reason is not a lack of equipment, as stated in the article, but the same as with the Russians – in some places a horse is more convenient for supplies than various equipment.

Well, you can also relatively quickly deliver stormtroopers to the necessary area for an attack in places where there is no road…

The photo from Aurochs shows the real situation on the front lines… the horse's condition is pitiful… the "other" propaganda photo… is just that… propaganda… those horses are not only excellently fed and cared for… they haven't even galloped to the forest… the one on the left is a colt that barely supports the beast on top… just for the photo…

Armand

Resents supply issues.

Andrew +1

On the other hand it's all disaster. They require as much care and attention as any vehicle (if not more), they're not small arms/shrapnel proof and they can decide to do their own thing at inconvenient times. Also NVG will pick them out 100m away through very thick ground cover, jungle or through a forest canopy. Being very quiet doesn't matter if the enemy are tracking your heat bloom.

Yes … that is just more reasons why the horse is not used very much in modern militaries. IIRC, during WWII some units in the German Army, etc. were negatively impacted when many of the horses came down with a strain of something like the equine flu.

But like any tool, they can work if they're used correctly.

Yes but with modern tech they have many fewer uses. However, some US ARMY SF troops in A'stan used some horses from transport in the countryside. A few times. Faster and better than walking. So yes, they seemed to be used "effectively" in that situation. IIRC they even made a movie about it …

Plus, they're edible…

Yeah … but I'd think that would be a last resort in most cases. You may end up walking. Eating you form of transport. And depending on the terrain local fauna would be a better choice. E.g. where I live, I see deer almost daily in my back yard. I see'm … I don't shoot'm and eat'm … A lot easier to go to the store and buy meat, etc. … 😏

Tango +1

Time Portal +1

Hate to think what a drone would do to a horse…

I've pulled a muscle in my arse and can't go uphill very well.

On holiday I walked down a 300 metre cliff only to find the funicular queue to go back up was at least 90 minutes. (Full of murcans off cruise ships.)

Fortunately the locals had mules and ponies available to go back up the steps. My mule was a brute – very powerful (I am heavy) but slow.

Interestingly Tripadvisor was full of ninnying and whining about cruelty to the mules – completely missing the point that stock animals don't exist unless they are of purpose.

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For combat purposes I'd rather be in a light-weight pony-drawn two-wheel 'Pikey' cart – complete with kevlar cushioning; me driving whilst No 2 is facing rear-wards skeet-shooting the drones.

Relevant…

Russia to partially ban diesel exports, extend gasoline restrictions after Ukrainian drone attacks

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You have to feed horses. A lot. They must be watered. It has hampered everyone from Napoleon to RE Lee. They make noise. You need riding skills, not common today. They need rest and shelter. They are large targets. Shooting the horses today should be fast and easy. Buy some Chinese cars instead, you can get maybe three guys in one and the mileage is decent. Cheaper than horses.

How are they handling fodder, veterinary care and other supply issues? Unless you can operate from static supply/barn points, I'd think it would add complications to your logistics.

If they don't show support and logistics for their own soldiers… why they would do it for horses and mules?… They are obviously used and discarded like a pair of old shoes… pure cruelty like it is in their blood….

Armand

As noted here. This is something that always has to be considered. Logistics for horses, mules, donkeys, etc. require a lot of food. That takes up space, and time to supply, etc..

And yes, the Russians don't treat their troops very well. Do you think they take care of their horses any better ?

Tortorella, can you imagine a situation where there's simply no road? For tens of kilometers. This is a common occurrence in Russia. There are only paths where wild animals walk… No transport can pass there, especially during the muddy season.

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McKinstry, these are Bashkir horses. In their natural habitat, they live in open pastures year-round and can forage for grass from under snow up to a meter deep.

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Video of Bashkir horses grazing in winter:

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The U.S. Marine Corps Training Center in California. Mounted training was introduced to the Marine Corps in 2010.

Afghanistan. The US has run out of transport ;-)

Especially for Tango. This random fragment of a Ukrainian video features a Ukrainian army horse-drawn cart and a cyclist:

t.me/voennyi_video/265

Another Ukrainian cart:

ok.ru/video/6850948106818

A Ukrainian soldier laughs at the transport and weapons he was given:

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Another tachanka:

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Moreover, while Russians use pack and riding horses to move across rough terrain, Ukrainians primarily use horse-drawn transport.

Pack mules have been reintroduced in the French Army mountain troops, Alpine Chasseurs, in 2021
last had been withdrawn from the ranks in 1975, but after 45 years a multisecular knowledge was lost and their specific equipments needed to be purschased to the Swiss Militia Army

the British Army Royal Scots Dragoon Guards had mounted patrols in peacekeeping operations in Kosovo 25 years ago and King's Royal Hussars did the same previously in Bosnia

the long to not say endless History of the horses and mules in the Armies continues in the XXIst century nuclear and spatial era

I believe that in rough terrain, horses will only be replaced in the future by flying transport drones… and only if the weather permits.

As I posted above – However, some US ARMY SF troops in A'stan used some horses from transport in the countryside. A few times. Faster and better than walking. So yes, they seemed to be used "effectively" in that situation. IIRC they even made a movie about it.

the long to not say endless History of the horses and mules in the Armies continues in the XXIst century nuclear and spatial era

Yes but all these instances, etc., where horses, mules, etc. were used in modern militaries. Even on the battlefield were not the norm. But the except generally and few in cases …

And yes, the Russians don't treat their troops very well. Do you think they take care of their horses any better ?

The video shows double riders. 🙄
As for them being edible, well… I have always said that the best tasting stews are "foreign" slow cook recipes that make tough cuts very succulent. Mmmmm…
Boeuf Bourguignon.
Goulash.
Guinness beef stew.

Peasant food tastes so much better than Michelin stars.
TBH, I've never had horse meat . But I wouldn't hesitate to try it. It's not like they're DOGS!