The Hidden Preparation of the Great War: The Commitment of the Italian Army to Horse Selection, 1861–1914

Before the military motorization, it was essential for armies to have a reserve of animals to be requisitioned in the event of war mobilization, both for food and as means of transport. Even in peacetime, military authorities were interested in animals normally used for civil purposes, looking at the size of the stock and taking care of their quality. In the case of horses, the State arranged for the purchase of part of the breeders, taking into account military authorities’ requirements. On the other hand, the use of horses in agriculture and other sectors intensified. In facts, farmers developed a real “hunger for energy”, looking for animals more specialized in work, by means of a more careful feeding and breeding. Therefore, farmers and their associations looked for other breeds, different from the heavy horses traditionally imported from Central and Northern Europe, or the elegant breeds liked by the nobility and the military word. Their criteria did not correspond at all to rural needs and exacerbated the confusion among the selection of breeds. Due to the "horse issue", an intense debate and several initiatives at different level arose. Consequently, a private and cooperative industry of breeding horses controlled by farmers emerged, while the State abandoned direct control over animal reproduction. Our contribution will analyze this divergence of interests and criteria about horse breeding between the military and farmers at different levels, from the management of State stallions to national discussions on horse policy (Departments of Agriculture and War, National zoo-technical Council, Parliament).