Direction for horsemanship in artillery

From 1886 to 1908 the Bulgarian Army had no instruction, direction or special guideline to regulate horsemanship in artillery. Actually in this period 16 artillery officers graduated at the Yelisavetgrad Cavalry School in Russia, and another little group studied the Cavalry School in Sofia, but it was not enough to introduce an organic plan for the horsemanship instruction in artillery. The only guidelines for the instruction of the artillery officers were the works of the Russian specialist Petrakov.

In 1908 the Artillery Inspector maj. gen. Nikola Ryaskov designated a special commission to regulate the matter once and for all. Since the members of the commission were artillery officers in active service, engaged in their duties, the text was mainly written by the head of the Administrative department of the Artillery Inspection, lt.col. Vladimir Vazov, assisted by maj. Paul Bananov as for the simple horsemanship.

The Direction for horsemanship in artillery (Наставление за ездата въ артилерията), published in 1909, was a detailed handbook, exposed methodically and supported by a lot of explanatory pictures. According with it, the riders during the first school year were trained in horsemanship, during the second year in managing and manoeuvring horsed guns, while during the third year they served as assistant instructors for the recruits.

The direction comprised six parts :

I. Horsemanship: direction for the recruits, allotment of the stuffs for the training, choice of the riders, description of the horses, mounting, exercises with vaulting and with living horses, use of stirrups, simple riding and change of direction, use of spurs and bridles, change of rate of march and march in circle, riding with the bit, marching obliquely, galloping, jumping hurdles.

II. Horsemanship with towed guns : management of a single pair, use of the horsewhip, management of horse at hand, driving a towed gun, moving in circle, turning, driving a towed gun between hindrances, driving a towed gun with riders on foot, hooking and unhooking, management of a pair with long bridle, competitive riding.

III. Description of the horse harness, saddling and unsaddling, harnessing and unharnessing, clearing and care of the harness; trappings and harness of officers’ horses, fitting harness.

IV. Care, feeding and keeping of horses.

V. Shoeing horses.

VI. Rules for training young remounts, riding and draught horses.