General Patton's airlift of Euro mares

[louis finochio]

I heard a story that General Patton save some thoroughbred mares in the war and sent them to Rex Ellsworth in California.

Rex Ellsworth bred out of these mares and did well with them.

As any other former members heard this story before?

[EmeraldGal]

I know that when General Patton liberated the fabled Lippizan horses, many other breeds were at that farm as well. Certainly a group of Arabian horses were brought to the US and stationed at the US Calvary Remount Depot. Thoroughbreds were also prized for remount purposes and it wouldn't surprise me if some were salvaged post War and brought to the US as well.

The Remount held a dispersal sale in the early 50's I think, so many of the Euro horses ended up in the hands of private breeders.

[louis finochio]

Thanks for the reply, as the person that told me of this story is an honest and trustworthy gentleman.

[EmeraldGal]

I have to correct myself a bit--the Remounts were mostly dispersed by early 1949. Thoroughbreds were definately part of the equine group imported after WW II.

The Fort Reno, OK, Remount Depot was perhaps the last one operating as the dispersal concluded.



EmeraldGal

[Lucy]

It was a rather drawn-out process, apparently....I have a sale catalog for a TB dispersal sale at Front Royal, VA from October 1946. It noted that sales in Fort Reno & Fort Robinson were to follow.

At the time, the Remount was said to be 'reorienting [their] breeding objectives', and that the retained horses had been 'selected for type, temperament, frugality, and durability, rather than nobility and fashion'.

As you know, they reoriented themselves right out of the horse-breeding business within the next three years. So much for durability.

[KBEquine]

Louis, the Military History Institute in Carlisle, PA, has lots of information - perhaps they have lists of horses rescued/sold [if they were identified at the time of rescue]. There is also the ability to do research online with them at:

http://www.ahco.army.mil:8080/site/index.jsp

And you can also write or e-mail & request one of their researchers to check the off-line resources to see whether their is a list of thoroughbred horses rescued during or after WWII.

[Bedouwia]

This is an interesting thread, and brings back some memories for me. There were as a previous poster mentioned quite a number and variety of horses that the U.S. military liberated from Europe. Some of them ended up at Ft. Hood, TX with the Cav. division there. As things disbanded, many of the horses and indeed the military personnel moved into civilian stables and riding schools. As a junior rider in Houston, TX, I rode an 18 hh German warmblood that we called Midnight which came out of a Ft. Hood auction. He was exceptionally well trained and earned me a gold medal in the junior Olympics in the early 1950s. Thanks for the topic, which brought back those good memories.

Bedouwia

[louis finochio]

John is a good friend of mine is now an owner, in is younger days he was an exercise boy for many leading trainers. John is the 1 who told me about this story of General Patton airlift in these thoroughbreds out of the war zone. Thanks John, we love this story be well Louis.

[Lei Owen]

Louis, contact Pat Mefferd over on the All Breed database, under Research, regarding your Gen. Patton story and the rescued horses. She's a wealth of information.