A lone horse stands faithfully over the corpse of its rider who lies face down, hands still clasped to the animal’s reins.  How long did the poor creature stay there? Did the horse suffer a similar fate to its rider?  Elsewhere, another horse is up to its muzzle in mud as it heaves a cart on the Western Front.

They are images which remind us  of the crucial role played by the  forgotten warriors of World War I — the four-legged ones.  They are also images which run counter to the statistics. A horse was actually more likely to die than its rider.

  While ten million men would be killed in the carnage of World War I, the casualty rate was proportionately considerably higher among the warhorses — of which some eight million perished on all sides. Of the one million horses which left Britain for the Western Front,  just 60,000 returned. And even those animals might never have made it home had it not been for a vigorous campaign by  charities and the Press to save them from French and Belgian abbattoirs.

  A few months from now, cinemas worldwide will be packed for Steven Spielberg’s long-awaited film of Michael Morpurgo’s bestseller, War Horse. The first official trailer for the film has been released, and it’s already generating talk of Oscars.  The stage version, meanwhile, has been breaking West End records since it opened in 2007 (the Queen dropped in unannounced in 2009), and is now enjoying similar success on Broadway.  But a powerful and haunting new book tells the true story of what happened to the real four-legged troops. And there isn’t much of a happy ending in The War Horses. As author Simon Butler explains, this was not just ‘the first and last global conflict in which the horse played a vital role’, but also a war which changed the entire relationship between society and the horse. A nation which had depended on domestic horsepower up until 1914 suddenly lost its workhorses to the front and had to find mechanised alternatives. By 1918, there was no going back.

  His book contains accounts of the military impressment squads which would descend on a village, just like the naval press gangs of yesteryear, and round up all the horses for service.  Some of the photographs show the bond between horse and man — the men of the Royal Scots Greys watering their animals in a French mill pool, or soldiers on both sides fitting equine gas masks. Many images show the crucial role of the workhorse/warhorse in shifting the millions of tons of rations and ammunitions up to the front line and bringing back the wounded.  But there are other images of horses caught up in the hell of modern warfare — some floundering in the mud, others lying injured in the aftermath of battle and many beyond hope.

‘Horses were easier targets than men, and you could do more damage to the enemy’s supply lines if you hit the horses,’ says  Mr Butler, a publisher who lives on Dartmoor, just a couple of miles from where Spielberg filmed War Horse. Nearly a century after the ‘war to end all wars’, it seems that we are finally giving due recognition to a group of comrades who never gave up and never complained for the simple reason that they could not. As General Sir Frank Kitson writes in his foreword to the book: ‘As a person who has enjoyed the company of many horses over the years, I thank heaven that I have never had to take one to war.’

http://www.allabouthorses.com/

http://www.funnewjersey.com/upload_user/Outdoor_Adventure/HORSEBACK_RIDING.htm

1. Find a good riding stable. If you're a beginner, trying to figure it out yourself will be difficult, and potentially dangerous. A good riding stable will have an experienced riding instructor, lesson horses appropriate for your level, and a good riding arena. When you're choosing a stable, take a lesson or two to evaluate the instructor and the lesson horse you'll be riding.
   
   • The riding instructor should be experienced and good at riding. She should be patient and good at teaching, and not pressure you to ride at a level you're not comfortable with.
   • The horse should be calm, experienced, and at least eight years old. Until you have more experience, choosing a seasoned, well-mannered horse will be safer and more fun.
2. Prepare your horse for riding. Before you ride, groom and tack up your horse with the help of your instructor.
   • Groom the horse with a curry comb, then use a stiff brush to remove the dust and hair brought up by the curry comb. The use a soft brush to finish.
   • Use a mane and tail comb to remove tangles and burrs.
   • Tack your horse by putting the saddle on, then the girth, and then the bridle. Again, do this with the aid of an instructor at first, until you and the horse are comfortable with the procedure.
   • Clean the horse's hooves (under guidance from your instructor. Be careful—horses can and do kick, so you will not want to do this alone until you are experienced.
3. Mount your horse.Traditionally, you mount a horse from the left side.
   • Hold the reins in your left hand, and turn the stirrup towards you with your right. Put your left foot into the stirrup, hold the saddle, bounce gently in the stirrup, then swing your right leg over the horse, and sit down in the saddle.

Method One: English Riding

1. Find your balance riding. On your first lesson, your riding instructor will probably lead your horse or put him on a lunge line while you get used to the feeling of riding a horse. If you feel unbalanced, hold onto your horse's mane until you feel balanced again.
   
   
   • If you move at a brisk pace, you'll be able to feel a rocking motion as you ride. Your seat should naturally move with the motion. Your arms also need to move with the motion of your horse; though you should have light contact with your horse's mouth, keep your elbows light and move them with the horse.
   • When you ride, look straight forward and keep your back straight. About a third of your boot should be in the stirrup, and keep your heels pointing down. Don't let your leg go too far forward as if you're sitting in a chair—this is called the "chair seat" and is incorrect. Your shoulder, hip, and heel should all be aligned.
2. Use aids to control your horse. Aids can be 'natural, such as your hands, seat, and legs, or artificial, such as a crop (whip) or spurs.
   • To make your horse move forward, squeeze with your calves. Horses that do not move forward after a gentle squeeze may need your squeeze to have more energy in it. Some people will say lazy or stubborn horses require kicks with your legs or the use of a crop or spurs but if a horse has been correctly educated then this amount of force is not needed. Remember, ask yourself the question, if a horse can feel a fly land on it then why would it need so much more force to get it to do things?
   • To make your horse halt, sit deep in the saddle and apply pressure with the reins. You can also say "whoa". Practice halting your horse without using your reins; your horse should respond to your seat.
   • To turn your horse, pull the left or right rein out to the side and apply pressure with your outside leg. You have to add pressure with your outside leg or your horse will turn his head as much as you please—and continue going straight forward.
3. Learn how to trot. Once you're confident at the walk, squeeze tighter and start trotting. You can sit or post the trot.
   
   
   • When you sit the trot, sit deep in the saddle and keep contact with your legs. Be careful to keep your elbows relaxed, so you don't jerk on your horse's mouth - you can also try sitting the trot on the lunge line without reins.
   • To post the trot, rise up in your stirrups every other step. Point your heel down and keep contact with the horse's mouth.
     • When you post the trot, you'll have to think about diagonals. Horses trot moving their legs diagonally. When you're moving to the left, you should rise when your horse's right shoulder is forward. When you're moving to the right, rise when your horse's left shoulder is forward. Try to just look with your eyes when you're checking your horse's diagonal - you could lose your balance if you turn your whole head.
4. Learn how to canter. The canter is a rocking gait similar to a rocking horse, except faster. To canter, move your outside leg slightly back and squeeze. Use this signal while you're at a slow trot; don't just speed up your horse or he'll usually start trotting quickly instead of cantering.
   
   
   • When you sit the canter, your seat rolls with the canter and you stay in the position you normally ride in. Don't tense up—keep your upper body still and keep a steady contact with your horse's mouth.
   • You can also canter while in the half-seat. You can sit in the half-seat by inclining your shoulders forward slightly (but don't slump!) and rotating your pelvis forward. You can also sit in the two-point position while cantering, but this is generally only used while jumping.

Method Two: Western Riding

1. Ride, like a cowboy. Western riding evolved from the practices of the Spanish Conquistadors in the New World, and was adopted by the cowboys of the American West.
2. Hold the reins in both hands. When you're just learning, you may feel more comfortable using both hands on the reins. However, Western-trained horses are taught to move with your body cues, and will not need a lot of rein. Most western riders also use just one hand when riding. This method is called "Neck Reining". Neck reining is when you use one hand to guide the horse's neck back and forth while your other hand either holds the horn of the saddle or falls at your side. If you are beginner,start with 2 hands.
   • When you turn, use your body, weight, and legs as in English-style riding. Push with your legs, and guide with your reins.
3. Walk your horse. Sit up tall in the saddle, put your legs forward, and allow your horse to stretch its head down and out. When you get comfortable walking the horse, move on to the next step.
4. Jog your horse. Jogging is similar to trotting, only slower and with longer strides. Rhythmically, it's a two-beat movement that you will recognize from countless westerns as the sound you hear as the stage coach is pulling in.
   • When you jog, sit back a little further in your saddle.
   • Western horses are often trained to recognize sounds as commands, and the traditional sound for jogging is a "tsk tsk" clicking of the tongue.
5. Lope your horse. When you're comfortable with the jog, ask your horse to lope. It's a little quicker than a jog, and rhythmically, it's a 3-beat movement.
   • The sound command for a lope is a noisy "kiss" sound.
6. 6Have fun with your horse! Riding is an incredible sport, and you can do anything from polo to trail riding. Head on off into the sunset, and enjoy!
   

Tips

• Make sure you're confident at 1 level of riding before you move on.
• Your helmet should be ASTM or SEI certified equestrian helmet. Biking helmets are not acceptable. If you fall off your horse or you've had your helmet for more than five years, replace it.
• Accept that you'll fall off at some point. If you do, just mount again - treat falling off as something that unpleasant, but not a reason to be afraid of riding.
• Keep your heels down and look where you want to go.
• Ask your instructor what cues your horse responds to.
• Talk to your horse while going around him or coming up behind him so he knows you're approaching.
• Be gentle with the bit; don't yank. If your horse bolts, it is essential that you stay completely calm and you don't start getting rough with your horse. If you have a choice,start circling your horse and gradually make the circles smaller. As they get smaller,your horse will have no choice but to slow down. Do not simply yank your horse in one direction because you could (and most likely would) knock them off balance. See How to Handle Yourself on a Runaway Horse.
• Horses can actually tell what mood you are in when you are riding. If you are nervous, the horse will sense it and become nervous as well. That is why you should always stay relaxed and calm in the worst situations.

http://www.ehow.com/video_4989677_ride-horse.html