CUBA: Horses,cows, cats and dogs.

Alberto Gytiérrez writes; "Cuban horses were used in the war against Spaniards. The most memorable " ¡a degüello! ( to the throat without  quarter) charge took place during the battle of Mal Tiempo, near Cienfuegos, on December 15, 1895. After Cuba became a republic, a section of its army, "La Guardia Rural",  was organized following the pattern of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. A good idea in principle. However "La Guardia Rural" sometimes didn't keep law and order . Instead their horses were used to disrupt public demonstrations and enforce the "machete plan"; beating a crowd  with the flat side of their sabres was a common practice.They abused the people, mainly the peasantry, in many other ways. Their unpopularity reached a peak during the turbulent years after the departure of President/Dictator Machado. Of course, by then the Cuban army no longer expected to participate in cavalry charges.
 
I remember a  huge mural in the lobby of the large tuberculosis sanatorium in Topes de Collantes, one of Batista's pet projects in the Escambray Mountains, depicting him two decades before at the head of a mounted regiment. Today that hospital is a hotel for tourists. But the last time I saw a large display of "La Guardia Rural"  along with a few tanks and armored cars, was during the military parade in Havana, on May 20, 1952, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Cuban republic.
 
Few years later the horses of "La Guardia Rural " were replaced by jeeps. The Cuban Military Academy kept its stock  and the cadets remain responsible for the grooming as late as 1960. At this time I don't know what was the end of  those beautiful horses. In Cuba the current conditions endured by most horses are very sad. A few were kidnapped and eaten as result of the food scarcity. Dogs are also suffering a lot, not as much as cats. The feline population decreased by the middle of the nineties.They became "conejos trepadores" (climbing rabbits) inside the otherwise empty pots. Believe me, I am not exaggerating!.  At the same time, and in spite of the shocking reality, Castro has sold herds of Cuban cattle to other countries".

RH: Something odd here. Castro is said to have plans to import thousands of cows from Argentina.