During the very early years of The Life Guards and
Royal Horse Guards (The Blues), private gentlemen supplied
their own mounts, so uniformity must have been virtually impossible.

It is hard to determine exactly when the Household Cavalry opted for black horses.

They were certainly known to be used by the 2nd Troop of Life Guards in 1692,
but it is hard to find hard evidence of similar use of blacks
by other Troops of Life Guards.

There is a print which illustrates a member of the 1st Troop of Life Guards,
mounted on a black horse, at the Coronation of Charles II (23 April 1661).
Although the print was published some years after the coronation, it appears
to be the earliest known association of The Life Guards with black horses.

Suffice to say, by 1681 black horses seem to have become the standard,
although records would indicate that they used generally smaller horses
than would be acceptable today.

As for the greys, it is known that Trumpeters were mounted on grey horses
at the time of the Napoleonic period - which was also the case for
many other cavalry regiments.

A useful record - Description Book of the 1st Life Guards -
(also see Drum Horses, below), quotes the majority of the horses
used by The Life Guards as being between 15 hands and 15.2 hands,
with some even less than this, so they were smaller than today's
Household Cavalry mounts.

Right up to the Second World War, Officers were required to buy their own chargers.

An order by the Prince Regent, in 1813, commanded Officers of The Blues
to ride black chargers, although this order seems not to have been given
to either Regiment of Life Guards. Nevertheless, Life Guards Officers
probably rode black chargers from around 1830 onwards.

The blacks and greys used by the Regiment (blacks for the majority
of the Regiment, greys used by Trumpeters) are largely of
Irish draught-horse stock - indeed, over 95% come from Ireland.

Preferably, a horse should be black all over, but some white markings
on head and legs are acceptable. Responsibility for purchase lies with
the Royal Army Veterinary Corps.

Most horses are purchased when between 3 and 4 years of age,
and then are sent to the Royal Army Veterinary Corps Depot,
at Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, from where they are forwarded to
the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, in London,
for selection by Squadron Leaders.

Training then commences under the overall direction of the Riding Master.

Ideally, the Riding Master (who oversees all selections) looks for animals
that are not less than 16.0 hands high, preferably unbroken, of good weight,
good attitude, clean-limbed, good outlook, no blemishes, and straight movers
(however, without too much movement).

They have to be sufficiently well built in order to carry a dutyman wearing
Mounted Review Order and saddle.

Once they are delivered, they are broken, then ridden - with
the rider progressively building up the furniture, together with
increasing degrees of dress and accessories - up to the
maximum weight with full ceremonial uniform.

They are also trained not to react to noise (crowd and traffic),
and are taught to accept the sound of the Regimental bands.

Once a horse has done all of this, and satisfactorily participated in
a major parade, it "passes out" and joins the Regiment proper.

Unlike the drum horses, the blacks and greys are all named with a
common letter for each year, advancing annually by another letter
- recommencing with A once Z has been used.

Also, since 1997 - in deference to technology - all Regimental horses
have been fitted with a microchip, for identification purposes.

The average age of retirement for Regimental horses is
about 17 or 18 years of age, although a few make it well into their 20s.

Incidentally, horses for use within Mounted Bands tend to be selected
from among the older, and therefore (hopefully) quieter mounts.

There is, however, the occasional horse that just dislikes the sound
of a Band, and can be very quick to make this known!

Want to know more about our horses?

Click Here!

The Drum Horses

Unfortunately, information on early Drum Horses is hard to come by,
despite the fact that they have been a feature of The Life Guards
as far back as 1660.

Also, according to the text of George Lawn's excellent book entitled
Music In State Clothing, the identities of the first Drum Horses
to be recorded for posterity were by Squadron/Regimental number
(for example, D54 - in service around 1897 - indicates that it was in D Squadron).

Drum Horse in the stables

LG Drum Horse ready for duty

* Paddy II and his rider are the subject of "The Drum Horse" - painted by Sir Alfred Munnings.

** More generally known within the Regiment as "Muffin".

*** More generally known within the Regiment as "Bumble".

The Farrier

A distinctive figure - when in ceremonial uniform - is the Farrier,
and one is on call around the clock, twenty-four hours per day,
at Hyde Park Barracks.

Also, a duty horse-box - known as the Veterinary Aid Post - follows
every major parade, with a specialist team equipped to deal with
any emergencies.

When participating on ceremonial parades, the Farriers - carrying
ceremonial axes - bring up the rear of the Household Cavalry contingent.

The Farriers regularly inspect every horse, at least once a week,
to ensure it is in top condition.

Originally the axe had two functions - the spike on the axe was used
to humanely put severely injured horses out of their misery, and the
sharp axe blade was used to chop off the deceased horses' feet.

The purpose of this was to account - in Regimental records - for
animals killed in action.

On Household Cavalry horses, three of the hooves currently carry
the horse's army number (near hind), Squadron number (near fore),
and Regimental initials (off fore).

Where do we find our black horses?

98% are purchased in the Republic of Ireland.

Who selects the horses for the Regiment?

The Riding Master, and Regimental Veterinary Officer attend all buying
commissions, together with members of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps.

What height are they?

Every black horse must measure over 16 hands, and greys must be
at least 15.2 hands.

At what age are the horses when we buy them?

Between three and four years old.

Why do we have Greys?

The greys are ridden by State Trumpeters.

What are the numbers on their hooves?

On the front hooves are their Regiment's initials and Regimental number.
On the hind hooves are their Army numbers.

On average, between eight and ten months, depending upon
the horse's temperament.

Why do you have coloured cart-horse type Drum Horses?

It is Regimental tradition to have a heavy coloured horse with plenty
of feather mane and tail, capable of carrying the weight of the drums.

How long does it take to train a Mounted Dutyman (after initial general training)?

Sixteen weeks - twelve weeks in khaki; four weeks in full ceremonial dress.

Not necessarily - it takes longer to correct bad habits, than to
teach someone from scratch.

How long can men serve with The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment?

A normal Mounted Dutyman will serve between two and three years,
then he will move to his Armoured Regiment for further trades and promotion.
However, the men picked for a Mounted trade job - Saddler, Farrier, Tailor,
Riding Instructor, or Forage Master - will serve longer.

At what age can one join?

A recruit must be seventeen years old.

How much do the drums weigh?

The silver drums weigh 68 lbs each.

No more than the Drummer. No cotton wool is used in horses' ears.