Forage

Prussian Frei-Dragoner von Kleist foraging.

Forage (French »fourrage«, German »Fourage«, derived from German »Futter«, fodder), horse feed: oats, hay, straw; therefore foraging, to procure horse feed. A distinction is made between dry and green forage, depending on wether the forage is taken from barns of nearby villages or freshly cut in the fields and meadows. Forage ration, the amount of horse feed for one horse and one day, provided goods in kind on campaign, typically by the quartering household, or drawn from magazines on occasion. The photo shows Prussian Frei-Dragoner von Kleist foraging. Cf. Fourrier.

Source: Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon, 6. Auflage 1905–1909

Military Glossary