Editing Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig (section)

===Junior officer===
Early in his military career, Haig played polo for England on a tour of the United States (August 1886). He would remain a polo enthusiast all his life, serving as Chairman of the Hurlingham Polo Committee from 1914 until 1922, President of the Army Polo Committee, and founder of the Indian Polo Association.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hpa-polo.co.uk/download/1927-May-1928-Sep.pdf|title=Polo Monthly 1928|access-date=15 February 2019}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>Groot 1988, p. 31.</ref>

Haig saw overseas service in [[British Raj|India]] (sent out November 1886), where he was appointed the regiment's [[adjutant]] in 1888.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=25840|page=4012|date=24 July 1888|nolink=y}}</ref> He was something of a disciplinarian,<ref>Groot 1988, p. 33.</ref> but impressed his superiors by his administrative skill and analysis of training exercises. He was promoted to [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] on 23 January 1891.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26156|page=2309|date=28 April 1891|nolink=y}}</ref>

[[File:Photograph of the young Douglas Haig as an officer with the 7th Hussars. (4687893437).jpg|thumb|left|Photograph of the young Douglas Haig as an officer with the 7th Hussars.]]

Haig left India in November 1892 to prepare for the entrance exam for the Staff College, Camberley, which he sat in June 1893. Although he was placed in the top 28 (the number of places awarded by exam) he was not awarded a place as he had narrowly failed the compulsory mathematics paper. He concealed this failure for the rest of his life<ref>Groot 1988, p. 38.</ref> and in 1910 recommended dropping the mathematics paper as a requirement.<ref>Groot 1988, p. 135.</ref> Adjutant-General Sir [[Redvers Buller]] refused to award Haig one of the four nominated places, citing his [[colour-blind|colour blindness]], despite Haig having his eyesight rechecked by a German oculist and despite glowing testimonials. It has been postulated that Buller was looking for a rationale to give a place to an infantry officer.<ref>Groot 1988, p. 40.</ref>

Haig returned briefly to India as second-in-command of the squadron which he had himself commanded in 1892, then returned to the UK as [[Aide-de-camp]] to Sir Keith Fraser, Inspector General of Cavalry.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26526|page=3655|date=26 June 1894|nolink=y}}</ref> Fraser was one of those who had lobbied for Haig to enter the Staff College, and he was finally nominated in late 1894, a common practice in the day for promising candidates. While waiting to take up his place, he travelled to Germany to report on cavalry manoeuvres there, and served as staff officer to [[John French, 1st Earl of Ypres|Colonel John French]] on manoeuvres. The careers of French and Haig were to be entwined for the next twenty-five years, and Haig helped French write the cavalry drillbook, published 1896.<ref name="Neillands 2006, p29"/>

Haig entered the [[Staff College, Camberley]] in 1896, where he was apparently not popular with his peers. For example, they chose Captain [[Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby|Edmund Allenby]] as [[Master of Fox Hounds|Master of the Drag Hunt]], despite Haig being the better rider.<ref>Groot 1988, p. 48.</ref>{{sfn|Heathcote|1999|p=156}} Haig impressed the chief instructor, Lieutenant Colonel [[George Francis Robert Henderson]], and completed the course, leaving in 1897. Camberley's old-fashioned curriculum<ref>see for example Travers 1987</ref> especially influenced Haig, as he was an absorber of doctrine rather than an original thinker. Haig was taught that victory must come from defeating the main enemy army in battle, and that attrition (the "wearing out fight") was merely a prelude to the commitment of reserves for a decisive battlefield victory; traces of this thought can be seen at Loos and the Somme. Great emphasis was placed on morale and mobility, and on [[Joachim Murat|Murat]]'s cavalry pursuit after [[Napoleon]]'s [[Battle of Jena|Jena campaign of 1806]].<ref>Groot 1988, p. 50.</ref>