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Stallions vs. Geldings as War and Riding Horses

Written by Karen Bergstralh

 

Recently I had an email exchange about the use of stallions vs. geldings as warhorses and riding horses. In hopes that some of this might be useful for other writers, I put together the following compilation of my responses. As always, my opinions on horses and horsemen are my opinions based on my own experiences and research.

From Greek times up until into the late eighteenth through mid-nineteen century warhorses and cavalry horses were stallions. Alexander rode a stallion into battle. Caesar directed his battles from the back of a stallion. Knights rode stallions on the field of battle. Gustavus Adolphus rode a stallion as did all his contemporaries. The tradition continued on, unbroken for centuries. Stallions were the only fit cavalry mounts.

The only exception to this was when dragoons joined the cavalry ranks. The dragoons were troops who rode to the battle and then dismounted to fight. Dragoons' mounts, it was felt, could be geldings as the animals were simply transportation and did not take part in the fighting.

Stallions had extra strength, endurance, fire, and dash that were absolutely necessary for battle. That was the firm opinion of everyone who mattered when it came to war. It was not considered an opinion but a rock-ribbed, absolute, God-given fact. Geldings were timid and fearful in battle. They lacked the strength to keep going on forced marches. They lack dash and élan when charging the enemy. Mares? Who would be sissy enough to ride a mare into battle? A prancing, snorting stallion was a reflection of the rider's manhood. A gelding was also considered a reflection, only far less desirable.

This opinion lasted until into the mid-1800s when most of the major armies converted their cavalry to geldings. A number of factors led to this change including the realization that geldings worked just as well as stallions with far less fuss. Economics spurred on the changes, too. Stallions, you see, can be troublesome. Stallions also require a higher level of horsemanship to successfully handle. For those who are interested in the process by which this occurred, I've included a URL for an article discussing the British experience with switching over to geldings. It also outlines some of the problems using stallions pose.

Among European and American armies, officers were still expected to ride stallions well into the twentieth century. Higher ranking officers were also expected to provide their own mounts. It was tradition with a strong dose of social expectations.

Which leads to the second part, the stallion as a riding horse. Again from the time of Xenophon the stallion was the only suitable mount for a noble male and, by Early Modern times, any wealthy man with a high social standing. In Spain and Portugal this still holds. If you are a male with any social standing to speak of you ride a stallion. Geldings and mares were for women, invalids, or the infirm. Real men ride stallions. You can still find this sentiment proclaimed today by some American males.

Equestrian portraits of noble men and some noble women show them on stallions. Every piece of period literature and serious study of warhorses I've read indicates that European males rode stallions unless there was no other choice or they were very low in social status. If you see a reference to "whole," "natural," "un-cut," "entire," or "stoned" horses the animals being discussed are stallions.

Back to the military and cavalry use of stallions or geldings. By the American Civil War the common soldiers were mounted on geldings with the officers providing and riding stallions. The U.S. Army had been, out of necessity, an early convert to the use of geldings as cavalry mounts. At the start of the ACW the Union cavalry used geldings for all lower ranks. Lower ranking officers (lieutenants and captains) could be issued a government mount if they could not provide their own or when their animal broke down or died. It was a bit of an embarrassment for a captain to be forced to ride a government issued gelding. During the war some officers created scandalous talk when it was discovered that they preferred riding geldings. In truth, many officers were not particularly good horsemen and a nice, well-behaved gelding was more their speed.

Above the rank of major there were higher social as well as military expectations of the officer being able to provide a string of several mounts. For marching, a soft gaited gelding might be acceptable but there was an expectation that during battle the officer would be mounted on a stallion.

High ranking officers such as General Grant, a noted horseman, General Sheridan, and General Sherman were occasionally given mounts by civilians. Captured horses could be bought by the U.S. Quartermaster Corps and issued back to the officers whose troops captured them. All and all, these mounts were almost always stallions.

By the end of the war stallion vs. gelding became a moot point as the Q.C. Remount was having trouble finding large enough numbers of suitable animals regardless of the state of their reproductive equipment.

The Confederate cavalry started out with every officer and most ordinary cavalryman providing his own mount. Among the Southern gentlemen there was a higher social expectation that they were excellent horsemen and would gallantly ride the fieriest stallions. While a higher percentage of those joining the Confederate cavalry units were good to excellent horseman, not everyone was. Not everyone joining ...