Always be most careful to groom all parts of your horse that will be touched by the equipment before you begin to saddle up. Men should not start from camp thirsty, but should drink all the water they want immediately after breakfast. All canteens should be filled before marching. =Section 2. Marches, camps.= GENERAL PROVISIONS. =977.= The successful conduct of a march is one of the surest tests of the ability and good judgment, not only of the commander, but of all subordinate officers as well. Certain general principles and some exact rules are laid down to fit the case of a normal march, but tactical considerations as well as the condition of roads and weather, the necessary forage, water and shelter, sanitation, and other circumstances render a march of any considerable body of mounted troops one requiring the most unremitting attention to details on the part of the commander and his subordinates. A successful Cavalry march whether in peace or war is one that places the men and horses at the time and place needed in the best possible condition for the service required. Failure of mounted troops to successfully carry out a mission is due as a rule to exhaustion or injuries to the horses rather than to the men. The training of officers of all grades must be such that solicitude for the condition of horses on the march is second nature; constant effort should be made, however severe the work, to stimulate the pride of the trooper in having and in keeping his mount in fit condition; if such stimulus is ineffective then the remedy, if the trooper is at fault, lies in other directions. Under favorable conditions field service offers the best opportunity for conditioning the horses and hardening the men. =978.= =Preparation=: Responsibility for the timely ordering of necessary preparations preliminary to leaving a permanent camp or station rests with the commander. All probable needs of the command for the service on which ordered should be anticipated, instructions prepared, verified, and issued once in complete form, and no departure therefrom permitted. The =march order= proper for the actual movement of the command conforms to the requirements of Field Service Regulations. =An order or memorandum of service calls= will be issued and distributed in ample time the night before beginning a march stating the hour for reville, stables, and breakfast and such other duties as can reasonably be anticipated.