Horses in World War I

Horses in World War I were very easily killed by machine guns and ordinary guns on the battlefields. Over 48,000 horses were killed in World War I, 210 from poison gas. Many drowned, died of exhaustion, or got stuck in mud or shell holes.
Horses were mainly used for helping with transport. They carried guns and bullets. They were better than motor vehicles over rough and muddy surfaces. It was hard to get enough food for them because they were in the middle of war. Horses ate about ten times as much food as a human. In 1917, allied operations were threatened when horse feed rations were reduced.