November 7, 2025 and one hundred and nine years ago on this day in 1916, Edgar Rice Burroughs anticipated his involvement in World War One and enrolled in the LA Riding Academy. Just an observation, but I don’t believe that very much of WW1 was fought on horseback. Ed wasn’t selected to fight in the War, but he served as an officer in the Illinois Militia during the war.
All of the major combatants in World War I began the conflict with cavalry forces. Imperial Germany stopped using them on the Western Front soon after the war began, but continued with limited use on the Eastern Front, well into the war. The Ottoman Empire used cavalry extensively during the war. On the Allied side, the United Kingdom used mounted infantry and cavalry charges throughout the war, but the United States used cavalry only briefly. Russia used cavalry forces on the Eastern Front but with limited success.
The famous "Charge of the Light Brigade" in 1854 made the futility of charging armed fortifications on horseback readily apparent.
The 100-word drabble for today, “Ride, Eddie, Ride,” was inspired by the riding refresher course.
The riding instructor said, “Mr. Burroughs, you’re a better horseman than I am. Tell me why you’re here.”
“Brushing up. There’s a war going on and I want to be ready.”
“Mr. Burroughs, I read the papers. Exactly what does horsemanship have to do with trench warfare, machine guns, and hand grenades?”
“Maybe nothing, but one thing that history teaches us is that every decision you make during war isn’t a good decision. The advantage of a good horse is that it can help you get out of trouble even faster than you got into it.”
“Right then. Saddle up.”
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