"Calvary units" are sexy, especially the all female 2d Tennessee Cavalry Regiment formed out of dedicated horsewomen from Shelbyville Tn, the home of the Walking Horses. (They were never very successful in combat roles, they were noted as being exceptionally competent in policing and as great ambassadors, and were able to "talk down situations, where traditional units would have 'gone kinetic.' Formed in summer of 2001, the regiment had 10 squadrons, 3 in each of 3 Battalions, plus one retained as the Regimental Cmdrs direct asset. Each Squadron had 4 Calvary troops, each consisting of a Cmdr, XO and 4 10 woman squads, and small HQ, including a supply/blacksmiths wagon. At first they were armed with a wide range of civilan arms (shotguns, lever actions and bolt actions) over the winter of 2001, they were rearmed primarily with "9mm sten type SMGs, manufactured in the Middle Tennessed State University factory in Murfreesboro. At the same time a 14 woman, 60mm Mortar squad was added to each Squadron.
Despite being sexy, they are not going to have much combat power, and their value will be in reconnaissance and screening, cavalry roles, they may have to fight, but they are not going to be able to defeat equivalent units. This has been true all the way back to at least the Civil war.
- In the US in the 90s you are going to work very hard to gather together enough men who are really familiar with horses, I think that their are more females who really like horses then men (thus the 2d TN Cav above).
- Most people today, even if they own horses, don't realize how much work it takes to keep a horse functioning as a mount or a work animal. Most Americans, and I expect Western Europeans, of the 90s would be ill qualified to maintain horses, and this would result in EXTREMELY high loses of horses. This would be made worse by the fact that the horses of the period would have 'grown up' as pets, not work animals. I remember reading something about pampered horses that had worked in a brewery in Germany who were drafted as artillery animals during WWII, none of them survived the first winter in Russian.
- I had a friend who was big into both Civil War reenactment and "cowboy action shooting." He had two horses who were 'gun trained," I know Police Horses are as well, but most horses are going to spook at gunfire, and some horses cannot be 'gun trained.'
- Having listed why horses are not ideal for combat, I will add that they are going to be invaluable for courier duties, and for pulling loads. I have a horse, in the combat train, of my Marine "Company" I posted here earlier, but it mostly hauls a wagon and is sometimes used to carry messages.
- I think there would be lots of reinventing the wheel, or actually of reinventing the horse pulled plow and horse harnesses. Making these are not completely lost skills, but they are not widespread either.
- As some has said before, a lot of horses (and dogs, cats...) are going to get eaten the first winter after TDM. That will make the survivors more valuable. The question is are surviving horses used to bred more and trained for pulling plows, or organized into offensive units. I think that their will be examples of both. Farmers will vote for the first plan, military for the second.
- OK, now I've got a new adventure idea. A 'just returned from Europe unit,' infiltrating on foot to 'recover' (rustle) horses and cattle from a New America controlled county in order to bring them back to Smithville in time for the spring planting. 2 of the adventurers are experienced horseman, the rest not so much. Could be fun role playing. I can see a stuborn but brave stud horse becoming an invaluable NPC. Herding dogs would also be useful.
- Oxen, will become much more important as work animals. Your artillery pieces are as likely to be pulled by oxen as horses. That is a skill that I think is likely very close to being totally lost in U.S., though I know of one group of Oxen that are plow trained at Historic Williamsburg near Norfolk VA
- No I don't have ADHD; why do you ask?
