Cavalry Cavalry ( from French " cavalerie " , cf . " cheval " ' horse ' ) or horsemen were soldiers or warrior s who fought mounted on horseback . Cavalry were historically the third oldest ( after infantry and chariot ry ) and the most mobile of the combat arms . A soldier in the cavalry is known by a number of designations such as cavalryman , horseman or trooper . The designation of cavalry was not usually given to any military force that used other animals , such as camels or mules . Infantry who moved on horseback , but dismounted to fight on foot , were known in the 17th and early 18th centuries as dragoon s , a class of mounted infantry which later evolved into cavalry proper while retaining their historic title . From earliest times cavalry had the advantage of improved mobility , making it an instrument which multiplied the fighting value of even the smallest forces , allowing them to outflank and avoid , to surprise and overpower , to retreat and escape according to the requirements of the moment . A man fighting from horseback also had the advantages of greater height , speed , and inertial mass over an opponent on foot . Another element of horse mounted warfare is the psychological impact a mounted soldier can inflict on an opponent . The mobility and shock value of the cavalry was greatly appreciated and exploited in armed forces in the Ancient and Middle Ages ; some forces were mostly cavalry , particularly in nomadic societies of Asia , notably the Mongol armies . In Europe cavalry became increasingly armoured ( heavy ) , and eventually became known for the mounted knight s . During the 17th century cavalry in Europe lost most of its armor , ineffective against the muskets and cannon which were coming into use , and by the mid - 19th century armor had mainly fallen into disuse , although some regiments retained a small thickened cuirass that offered protection against lances and sabres and some protection against shot . In the period between the World Wars , many cavalry units were converted into motorised infantry and mechanised infantry units , or reformed as tank troops . However some cavalry still served during the Second World War , notably in the Red Army , the Mongolian army , the Italian Royal Army and the Polish Army . Most cavalry units that are horse - mounted in modern armies serve in purely ceremonial roles , or as mounted infantry in difficult terrain such as mountains or heavily forested areas . Modern usage of the term refers to specialist units equipped with tanks ( " armored cavalry " ) or aircraft ( " air cavalry " ) . Role of cavalry . In many modern armies , the term " cavalry " is still often used to refer to units that are a combat arm of the armed forces which in the past filled the traditional horse - borne land combat light cavalry roles . These include scouting , skirmishing with enemy reconnaissance elements to deny them knowledge of own disposition of troops , forward security , offensive reconnaissance by combat , defensive screening of friendly forces during retrograde movement , retreat , restoration of command and control , deception , battle handover and passage of lines , relief in place , linkup , breakout operations , and raiding . The shock role , traditionally filled by heavy cavalry , is generally filled by unit s with the " armored " designation . History . Origins . Before the Iron Age , the role of cavalry on the battlefield was largely performed by light chariot s . The chariot originated with the Sintashta - Petrovka culture in Central Asia and spread by nomadic or semi - nomadic Indo - Iranians . The chariot was quickly adopted by settled peoples both as a military technology and an object of ceremonial status , especially by the Pharaohs of the New Kingdom of Egypt as well as Assyrian army and Babylonian royalty . The power of mobility given by mounted units was recognized early on , but was offset by the difficulty of raising large forces and by the inability of horses ( then mostly small ) to carry heavy armor . Cavalry techniques were an innovation of equestrian nomad s of the Central Asian and Iranian steppe and pastoralist tribe s such as the Persian Parthians and Sarmatians . The photograph above right shows Assyrian cavalry from reliefs of 865 – 860 BC . At this time , the men had no spur s , saddle s , saddle cloth s , or stirrup s . Fighting from the back of a horse was much more difficult than mere riding . The cavalry acted in pairs ; the reins of the mounted archer were controlled by his neighbour ' s hand . Even at this early time , cavalry used swords , shields , and bows . The sculpture implies two types of cavalry , but this might be a simplification by the artist . Later images of Assyrian cavalry show saddle cloths as primitive saddles , allowing each archer to control his own horse . As early as 490 BC a breed of large horses was bred in the Nisaean plain in Media to carry men with increasing amounts of armour ( Herodotus 7 , 40 & 9 , 20 ) . But large horses were still very exceptional at this time . Excepting a few ineffective attempts to revive scythed chariot s , and continuing far eastern use , the use of chariots in battle was obsolete in civilized nations by the time of the Persian defeat at the hands of Alexander the Great , but chariots remained in use for ceremonial purposes such as carrying the victorious general in a Roman triumph , or for racing . The southern Britons met Julius Caesar with chariots in 55 and 54 BC , but by the time of the Roman conquest of Britain a century later chariots were obsolete even in Britannia . Ancient Greece : city - states , Thebes , Thessaly and Macedonia . During the classical Greek period cavalry were usually limited to those citizens who could afford expensive war - horses . Three types of cavalry became common : light cavalry , whose riders , armed with javelins , could harass and skirmish ; heavy cavalry , whose troopers , using lances , had the ability to close with their opponents ; and finally those whose equipment allowed them to fight either on horseback or foot . The role of horsemen did however remain secondary to that of the hoplites or heavy infantry who comprised the main strength of the citizen levies of the various city states . Cavalry played a relatively minor role in ancient Greek city - states , with conflicts decided by massed armored infantry . However , Thebes produced Pelopidas , her first great cavalry commander , whose tactics and skills were absorbed by Phillip II of Macedon when Phillip was a guest - hostage in Thebes . Thessaly was widely known for producing competent cavalrymen , and later experiences in wars both with and against the Persians taught the Greeks the value of cavalry in skirmishing and pursuit . The Athenian author and soldier Xenophon in particular advocated the creation of a small but well - trained cavalry force ; to that end , he wrote several manuals on horsemanship and cavalry operations . The Macedonian Kingdom in the north , on the other hand , developed a strong cavalry force that culminated in the " hetairoi " ( Companion cavalry ) of Philip II and Alexander the Great . In addition to these heavy cavalry , the Macedonian army also employed lighter horsemen called prodromoi for scouting and screening , as well as the Macedonian pike phalanx and various kinds of light infantry . There were also the " Ippiko " ( or " Horserider " ) , Greek " heavy " cavalry , armed with kontos ( or cavalry lance ) , and sword . These wore leather armour or mail plus a helmet . They were medium rather than heavy cavalry , meaning that they were better suited to be scouts , skirmishers , and pursuers rather than front line fighters . This combination of cavalry and infantry helped to break enemy lines and were used effectively to dominate the opponents of the kingdom . The effectiveness of this combined - arms system was most dramatically demonstrated in Alexander ' s conquest of Persia , Bactria , and northwestern India . Roman Republic and Early Empire . The cavalry in the early Roman Republic remained the preserve of the wealthy landed class known as the " equites " — men who could afford the expense of maintaining a horse in addition to arms and armor heavier than those of the common legion s . As the class grew to be more of a social elite instead of a functional property - based military grouping , the Romans began to employ Italian socii for filling the ranks of their cavalry . At about the same time the Romans began to recruit foreign auxiliary cavalry from among Gauls , Iberians , and Numidians , the last being highly valued as mounted skirmishers and scouts ( see Numidian cavalry ) . Julius Caesar himself was known for his admiration of his escort of Germanic mixed cavalry , giving rise to the " Cohortae Equitates " . Early emperors maintained an ala of Batavi an cavalry as their personal bodyguards until the unit was dismissed by Galba after the Batavian Rebellion . For the most part , Roman cavalry during the Republic functioned as an adjunct to the legionary infantry and formed only one - fifth of the showing force . This does not mean that its utility could be underestimated , though , as its strategic role in scouting , skirmishing , and outpost duties was crucial to the Romans ' capability to conduct operations over long distances in hostile or unfamiliar territory . In some occasions it also proved its ability to strike a decisive tactical blow against a weakened or unprepared enemy , such as the final charge at the Battle of Aquilonia . After defeats such as the Battle of Carrhae , the Romans learned the importance of large cavalry formations from the Parthians . They would begin to substantially increase both the numbers and the training standards of the cavalry in their employ , just as nearly a thousand years earlier the first Iranians to reach the Iranian Plateau forced the Assyrians to a similar reform . Nonetheless , they would continue to rely mainly on their heavy infantry supported by auxiliary cavalry . Late Roman Empire and the Migration Period . In the army of the late Roman Empire , cavalry played an increasingly important role . The Spatha , the classical sword throughout most of the 1st millennium was adopted as the standard model for the Empire ' s cavalry forces . The most widespread employment of heavy cavalry at this time was found in the forces of the Parthians and their Iranian Sassanid successors . Both , but especially the former , were famed for the cataphract ( fully armored cavalry armed with lances ) even though the majority of their forces consisted of lighter horse archer s . The West first encountered this eastern heavy cavalry during the Hellenistic period with further intensive contacts during the eight centuries of the Roman – Persian wars . At first the Parthians ' mobility greatly confounded the Romans , whose armoured close - order infantry proved unable to match the speed of the Parthians . However , later the Romans would successfully adapt such heavy armor and cavalry tactics by creating their own units of cataphracts and " clibanarii " . The decline of the Roman infrastructure made it more difficult to field large infantry forces , and during the 4th and 5th centuries cavalry began to take a more dominant role on the European battlefield , also in part made possible by the appearance of new , larger breeds of horses . The replacement of the Roman saddle by variants on the Scythian model , with pommel and cantle , was also a significant factor as was the adoption of stirrup s and the concomitant increase in stability of the rider ' s seat . Armored Cataphracts began to be deployed in eastern Europe and the near East , following the precedents established by Persian forces , as the main striking force of the armies in contrast to the earlier roles of cavalry as scouts , raiders , and outflankers . The late Roman cavalry tradition and the mounted nobility of the Germanic invaders both contributed to the development of mediaeval knightly cavalry . Arabs . Early organized Arab mounted forces under the Rashidun caliphate comprised a light cavalry armed with lance and sword . Its main role was to attack the enemy flanks and rear . These relatively lightly armored horsemen formed the most effective element of the Muslim armies during the later stages of the Islamic conquest of the Levant . The best use of this lightly armed fast moving cavalry was revealed at the Battle of Yarmouk ( 636 AD ) in which Khalid ibn Walid , knowing the skills of his horsemen , used them to turn the tables at every critical instance of the battle with their ability to engage , disengage , then turn back and attack again from the flank or rear . A strong cavalry regiment was formed by Khalid ibn Walid which included the veterans of the campaign of Iraq and Syria . Early Muslim historians have given it the name " Mutaharrik tulai ' a " ( متحرك طليعة ) , or the Mobile guard . This was used as an advance guard and a strong striking force to route the opposing armies with its greater mobility that give it an upper hand when maneuvering against any Byzantine army . With this mobile striking force , the conquest of Syria was made easy . The Battle of Talas in 751 CE was a conflict between the Arab Abbasid Caliphate and the Chinese Tang Dynasty over the control of Central Asia . Chinese infantry were routed by Arab cavalry near the bank of the River Talas . Later Mamluk s were trained as cavalry soldiers . Mamluks were to follow the dictates of al - furusiyya , a code of conduct that included values like courage and generosity but also doctrine of cavalry tactics , horsemanship , archery and treatment of wounds . Asia . Central Asia . Xiongnu , Tujue , Avars , Kipchaks , Mongols , Don Cossack s and the various Turkic peoples are also examples of the horse - mounted groups that managed to gain substantial successes in military conflicts with settled agrarian and urban societies , due to their strategic and tactical mobility . As European states began to assume the character of bureaucratic nation - states supporting professional standing armies , recruitment of these mounted warriors was undertaken in order to fill the strategic roles of scouts and raiders . The best known instance of the continued employment of mounted tribal auxiliaries were the Cossack cavalry regiments of Tsarist Russia . In eastern Europe , Russia , and out onto the steppes , cavalry remained important much longer and dominated the scene of warfare until the early 17th century and even beyond , as the strategic mobility of cavalry was crucial for the semi - nomadic pastoralist lives that many steppe cultures led . Tibetans also had a tradition of cavalry warfare , in several military engagements early on with the Chinese Tang Dynasty ( 618 – 907 AD ) , including Emperor Taizong ' s campaign against Tufan in 638 . East Asia . Further east , the military history of China , specifically northern China , held a long tradition of intense military exchange between Han Chinese infantry forces of the settled dynastic empires and the mounted nomads or " barbarians " of the north . The naval history of China was centered more to the south , where mountains , rivers , and large lakes necessitated the employment of a large and well - kept navy . In 307 BC , King Wuling of Zhao , the ancient Chinese ruler of the former State of Jin territory , ordered his military commanders and troops to adopt the trousers of the nomads as well as practice the nomads ' form of mounted archery to hone their new cavalry skills . Soon afterwards the cavalry tactics employed by the State of Zhao forced their enemies in the other Warring States to adopt the same techniques in order to mount any effective attack against their swift movements on the battlefield . The adoption of massed cavalry in China also broke the tradition of the chariot - riding Chinese aristocracy in battle , which had been in use since the ancient Shang Dynasty ( c . 1600 BC - 1050 BC ) . By this time large Chinese infantry - based armies of 100 , 000 to 200 , 000 troops were now buttressed with several hundred thousand mounted cavalry in support or as an effective striking force . The handheld pistol - and - trigger crossbow was invented in China in the 4th century BC ; it was written by the Song Dynasty scholars Zeng Gongliang , Ding Du , and Yang Weide in their book " Wujing Zongyao " ( 1044 AD ) that massed missile fire by crossbowmen was the most effective defense against enemy cavalry charges . On many occasions the Chinese studied nomadic cavalry tactics and applied the lessons in creating their own potent cavalry forces , while in others they simply recruited the tribal horsemen wholesale into their armies ; and in yet other cases nomadic empires proved eager to enlist Chinese infantry and engineering , as in the case of the Mongol Empire and its sinicized part , the Yuan Dynasty ( 1279 – 1368 ) . The Chinese recognized early on during the Han Dynasty ( 202 BC - 220 AD ) that they were at a disadvantage in lacking the number of horses the northern nomadic peoples mustered in their armies . Emperor Wu of Han ( r . 141 BC - 87 BC ) went to war with the Dayuan for this reason , since the Dayuan were hording a massive amount of tall , strong , Central Asian bred horses in the Hellenized – Greek region of Fergana ( established slightly earlier by Alexander the Great ) . Although experiencing some defeats early on in the campaign , Emperor Wu ' s war from 104 BC to 102 BC succeeded in gathering the prized tribute of horses from Fergana . Cavalry tactics in China were enhanced by the invention of the saddle - attached stirrup by at least the 4th century , as the oldest reliable depiction of a rider with paired stirrups was found in a Jin Dynasty tomb of the year 322 AD . The Chinese invention of the horse collar by the 5th century was also a great improvement from the breast harness , allowing the horse to haul greater weight without heavy burden on its skeletal structure . The horse warfare of Korea was first started during the ancient Korean kingdom Gojoseon . Since at least the 3rd century BC , there was influence of northern nomadic peoples and Yemaek peoples on Korean Warfare . By roughly the 1st century BC , the ancient kingdom of Buyeo also had mounted warriors . The cavalry of Goguryeo , one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea , were called " Gaemamusa " ( 개마무사 , 鎧馬武士 ) . King Gwanggaeto the Great often led expeditions into the Baekje , Gaya confederacy , Buyeo , Later Yan and against Japanese invaders with his cavalry . In the 12th century , Jurchen tribes began to violate the Goryeo - Jurchen borders , and eventually invaded Goryeo Korea . After experiencing the invasion by the Jurchen , Korean general Yun Gwan realized that Goryeo lacked efficient cavalry units . He reorganized the Goryeo military into a professional army that would contain decent and well - trained cavalry units . In 1107 , the Jurchen were ultimately defeated , and surrendered to Yun Gwan . To mark the victory , General Yun built nine fortresses to the northeast of the Goryeo - Jurchen borders ( 동북 9성 , 東北 九城 ) . The ancient Japanese of the Kofun period also adopted cavalry and equine culture by the 5th century AD . The emergence of the samurai aristocracy led to the development of armoured horse archers , themselves to develop into charging lancer cavalry as gunpowder weapons rendered bows obsolete . South Asia . In the Indian subcontinent , cavalry played a major role from the Gupta Dynasty ( 320 - 600 ) period onwards . India has also the oldest evidence for the introduction of toe - stirrup s . Indian literature contains numerous references to the cavalry forces of the Central Asia n horse nomads like the Saka s , Kambojas , Yavanas , Pahlavas and Paradas . Numerous Puranic texts refer to a conflict in ancient India ( 16th century BC ) in which the cavalry forces of five nations , called five hordes ( " pañca . ganan " ) or Kśatriya hordes ( " Kśatriya ganah " ) , attacked and captured the throne of Ayudhya by dethroning its Vedic King Bahu The Mahabharata , Ramayana , numerous Puranas and some foreign sources numerously attest that Kamboja cavalry was frequently requisitioned in ancient wars . V . R . Ramachandra Dikshitar writes : " Both the Puranas and the epics agree that the horses of the Sindhu and Kamboja regions were of the finest breed , and that the services of the Kambojas as cavalry troopers were requisitioned in ancient wars " . J . A . O . S . writes : " Most famous horses are said to come either from Sindhu or Kamboja ; of the latter ( i . e . the Kamboja ) , the Indian epic Mahabharata speaks among the finest horsemen " . Mahabharata ( 950 c BC ) speaks of the esteemed cavalry of the Kambojas , Sakas , Yavanas and Tusharas , all of whom had participated in the Kurukshetra war under the supreme command of Kamboja ruler Sudakshin Kamboj . Mahabharata and Vishnudharmotari Purana especially styles the Kambojas , Yavansa , Gandharas etc . as " Ashva . yuddha . kushalah " ( expert cavalrymen ) . In the Mahabharata war , the Kamboja cavalry along with that of the Sakas , Yavanas is reported to have been enlisted by the Kuru king Duryodhana of Hastinapur a . Herodotus ( 484 c BC – 425 c BC ) attests that the Gandarian mercenaries ( i . e . " Gandharans / Kambojans " of Gandari Strapy of Achaemenids ) from the 20th strapy of the Achaemenid s were recruited in the army of emperor Xerxes I ( 486 - 465 BC ) , which he led against the Hellas . Similarly , the " men of the Mountain Land " from north of Kabol - River equivalent to medieval Kohistan ( Pakistan ) , figure in the army of Darius III against Alexander at Arbela with a cavalry and fifteen elephants . This obviously refers to Kamboja cavalry south of Hindukush . The Kambojas were famous for their horses , as well as cavalry - men ( " asva - yuddha - Kushalah " ) . On account of their supreme position in horse ( Ashva ) culture , they were also popularly known as Ashvakas , i . e . the " horsemen " and their land was known as " Home of Horses " . They are the Assakenoi and Aspasioi of the Classical writings , and the Ashvakayana s and Ashvayana s in Pāṇini ' s Ashtadhyayi . The Assakenoi had faced Alexander with 30 , 000 infantry , 20 , 000 cavalry and 30 war elephants . Scholars have identified the Assakenoi and Aspasioi clans of Kunar and Swat valleys as a section of the Kambojas . These hardy tribes had offered stubborn resistance to Alexander ( 326 c BC ) during latter ' s campaign of the Kabul , Kunar and Swat valleys and had even extracted the praise of the Alexander ' s historians . These highlanders , designated as " " parvatiya Ayudhajivinah " " in Pāṇini ' s Astadhyayi , were rebellious , fiercely independent and freedom - loving cavalrymen who never easily yielded to any overlord . The Sanskrit drama " Mudra - rakashas " by " Visakha Dutta " and the Jaina work " Parisishtaparvan " refer to Chandragupta ' s ( 320 C BC – 298 c BC ) alliance with Himalaya n king " Parvataka " . The Himalaya n alliance gave Chandragupta a formidable composite army made up of the cavalry forces of the Shakas , Yavanas , Kambojas , Kiratas , Parasikas and Bahlikas as attested by Mudra - Rakashas ( Mudra - Rakshasa 2 ) . These hordes had helped Chandragupta Maurya defeat the ruler of Magadha and placed Vhandragupta on the throne , thus laying the foundations of Mauryan Dynasty in Northern India . The cavalry of Hunas and the Kambojas is also attested in the Raghu Vamsa epic poem of Sanskrit poet Kalidasa . Raghu of Kalidasa is believed to be Chandragupta II ( " Vikaramaditya " ) ( 375 – 413 / 15 AD ) , of the well - known Gupta Dynasty . As late as mediaeval era , the Kamboja cavalry had also formed part of the Gurjara - Pratihara armed forces from the 8th to the 10th centuries AD . They had come to Bengal with the Pratihara s when the latter conquered part of the province . Ancient Kambojas were constituted into military " Sanghas " and Srenis ( Corporations ) to manage their political and military affairs , as Arthashastra of Kautiliya as well as the Mahabharata amply attest for us . They are attested to be living as " Ayuddha - jivi " or " Shastr - opajivis " ( Nation - in - arms ) , which also means that the Kamboja cavalry offered its military services to other nations as well . There are numerous references to Kambojas having been requisitioned as cavalry trooper s in ancient wars by outside nations . European Middle Ages . Although Roman cavalry had no stirrups , their horned saddle allowed the combination of a firm seat with substantial flexibility . But the introduction of the wraparound saddle during the Middle Ages provided greater efficiency in mounted shock combat and the important invention of the stirrup enabled a broader array of attacks to be delivered from the back of a horse . As a greater weight of man and armor could be supported in the saddle , the probability of being dismounted in combat was significantly reduced . In particular , a charge with the lance couched under the armpit would no longer turn into pole vaulting ; this eventually led to an enormous increase in the impact of the charge . Last but not least , the introduction of spur s allowed better control of the mount during the " knightly charge " in full gallop . In western Europe there emerged what is considered the " ultimate " heavy cavalry , the knight . The knights and other similarly equipped mounted men - at - arms charged in close formation , exchanging flexibility for a massive , irresistible first charge . The mounted men - at - arms quickly became an important force in Western European tactics . Medieval military doctrine employed them as part of a combined - arms force along with various kinds of foot troops ; however medieval chroniclers tended to pay undue attention to the knights at the expense of the rank and file , which led early students of military history to suppose that this heavy cavalry was the only force that mattered on medieval European battlefields , which was not the case . Massed English longbowmen triumphed over French cavalry at Crécy , Poitiers and Agincourt , while at Gisors ( 1188 ) , Bannockburn ( 1314 ) , and Laupen ( 1339 ) , foot - soldiers proved their invulnerability to cavalry charges as long as they held their formation . Once the Swiss developed their pike square s for offensive as well as defensive use , infantry started to become the principal arm . This aggressive new doctrine gave the Swiss victory over a range of adversaries , and their enemies found that the only reliable way to defeat them was by the use of an even more comprehensive combined arms doctrine , as evidenced in the Battle of Marignano . The introduction of missile weapons that required less skill than the longbow , such as the crossbow and hand cannon , also helped remove the focus somewhat from cavalry elites to masses of cheap infantry equipped with easy - to - learn weapons . These missile weapons were very successfully used in the Hussite Wars , in combination with Wagenburg tactics . This gradual rise in the dominance of infantry led to the adoption of dismounted tactics . From the earliest times knights and mounted men - at - arms had frequently dismounted to handle enemies they could not overcome on horseback , such as in the Battle of the Dyle ( 891 ) and the Battle of Bremule ( 1119 ) , but after 1350s this trend became more marked with the dismounted men - at - arms fighting as super - heavy infantry with two - handed sword s and poleaxe s . In any case , warfare in the Middle Ages tended to be dominated by raids and sieges rather than pitched battles , and mounted men - at - arms rarely had any choice other than dismounting when faced with the prospect of assaulting a fortified position . Renaissance Europe . Ironically , the rise of infantry in the early 16th century coincided with the " golden age " of heavy cavalry ; a French or Spanish army at the beginning of the century could have up to half its numbers made up of various kinds of light and heavy cavalry , whereas in earlier medieval and later 17th - century armies the proportion of cavalry was seldom more than a quarter . Knighthood largely lost its military functions and became more closely tied to social and economic prestige in an increasingly capitalistic Western society . With the rise of drilled and trained infantry , the mounted men - at - arms , now sometimes called " gendarmes " and often part of the standing army themselves , adopted the same role as in the Hellenistic age , that of delivering a decisive blow once the battle was already engaged , either by charging the enemy in the flank or attacking their commander - in - chief . From the 1550s onwards , the use of gunpowder weapons solidified infantry ' s dominance of the battlefield and began to allow true mass armies to develop . This is closely related to the increase in the size of armies throughout the early modern period ; heavily armored cavalrymen were expensive to raise and maintain and it took years to replace a skilled horseman or a trained horse , while arquebusier s and later musketeer s could be trained and kept in the field at much lower cost , and were much easier to replace . The Spanish tercio and later formations relegated cavalry to a supporting role . The pistol was specifically developed to try to bring cavalry back into the conflict , together with manoeuvres such as the caracole . The caracole was not particularly successful , however , and the charge ( whether with sword , pistol , or lance ) remained as the primary mode of employment for many types of European cavalry , although by this time it was delivered in much deeper formations and with greater discipline than before . The demi - lancer s and the heavily armored sword - and - pistol reiter s were among the types of cavalry whose heyday was in the 16th and 17th centuries , as for the Polish winged hussars , a heavy cavalry force that achieved great success against Swedes , Russians , and Turks . 18th - century Europe and Napoleonic Wars . Cavalry retained an important role in this age of regularization and standardization across European armies . First and foremost they remained the primary choice for confronting enemy cavalry . Attacking an unbroken infantry force head - on usually resulted in failure , but extended linear infantry formations were vulnerable to flank or rear attacks . Cavalry was important at Blenheim ( 1704 ) , Rossbach ( 1757 ) , Eylau and Friedland ( 1807 ) , remaining significant throughout the Napoleonic Wars . The greatest cavalry charge of modern history was at the 1807 battle of Eylau , when the entire 11 , 000 - strong French cavalry reserve , led by Maréchal Murat , launched a huge charge on and through the Russian infantry lines . However , in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo , repeated charges by up to 9 , 000 French cavalrymen failed to break the line of the British and German infantry , who had formed square s . Massed infantry was deadly to cavalry , but offered an excellent target for artillery . Once the bombardment had disordered the infantry formation , cavalry were able to rout and pursue the scattered foot soldiers . It was not until individual firearms gained accuracy and improved rates of fire that cavalry was diminished in this role as well . Even then light cavalry remained an indispensable tool for scouting , screening the army ' s movements , and harassing the enemy ' s supply lines until military aircraft supplanted them in this role in the early stages of World War I . 19th century . By the 19th century , European cavalry fell into four main categories : There were cavalry variations for individual nations as well : France had the " chasseurs à cheval " ; Germany had the " Jäger zu Pferd " ; Bavaria had the " Chevaulegers " ; and Russia had Cossacks . Britain , from the mid - 18th century , had Light Dragoons as light cavalry and Dragoons , Dragoon Guards and Household Cavalry as heavy cavalry . Only after the end of the Napoleonic wars were the Household Cavalry equipped with cuirasses , and some other regiments were converted to lancers . In the United States Army the cavalry were almost always dragoons . The Imperial Japanese Army had its cavalry uniformed as hussar s , but they fought as dragoons . In the Crimean War , the Charge of the Light Brigade and the Thin Red Line at the Battle of Balaclava showed the vulnerability of cavalry , when deployed without effective support . In the early American Civil War the regular United States Army mounted rifle , dragoon , and two existing cavalry regiments were reorganized and renamed cavalry regiments , of which there were six . Over a hundred other federal and state cavalry regiments were organized , but the infantry played a much larger role in many battles due to its larger numbers , lower cost per rifle fielded , and much easier recruitment . However , cavalry saw a role as part of screening forces and in foraging and scouting . The later phases of the war saw the Federal army developing a truly effective cavalry force fighting as scouts , raiders , and , with repeating rifles , as mounted infantry . Post Civil War , as the volunteer armies disbanded , the regular army cavalry regiments increased in number from six to ten , among them the U . S . 7th Cavalry Regiment of Little Bighorn fame , and the African - American U . S . 9th Cavalry Regiment and U . S . 10th Cavalry Regiment . These units , along with others ( both cavalry and infantry ) , collectively became known as the Buffalo Soldier s . These regiments , which rarely took the field as complete organizations , served throughout the American Indian Wars through the close of the frontier in the 1890s . During the Franco - Prussian War , at the Battle of Mars - la - Tour in 1870 , a Prussian cavalry brigade decisively smashed the centre of the French battle line , after skilfully concealing their approach . This event became known as Von Bredow ' s Death Ride after the brigade commander Adalbert von Bredow ; it would be used in the following decades to argue that massed cavalry charges still had a place on the modern battlefield . 19th - century imperial expansion . Cavalry found new success in imperial operations ( irregular warfare ) , where modern weapons were lacking and the slow moving infantry - artillery train or fixed fortifications were often ineffective against native insurgents ( unless the natives offered a fight on an equal footing , as at Tel - el - Kebir , Omdurman , etc . ) . Cavalry " flying column s " proved effective , or at least cost - effective , in many campaigns — although an astute native commander ( like Samori in western Africa , Shamil in the Caucasus , or any of the better Boer commanders ) could turn the tables and use the greater mobility of their cavalry to offset their relative lack of firepower compared with European forces . The British Indian Army maintained about forty regiments of cavalry , officered by British and manned by Indian sowars ( cavalrymen ) . The legendary exploits of this branch lives on in literature and early films . Among the more famous regiments in the lineages of modern Indian and Pakistani Armies are : Several of these formations are still active , though they now are armoured formations , for example Guides Cavalry in Pakistan . The French Army maintained substantial cavalry forces in Algeria and Morocco from 1830 until the Second World War . Much of the Mediterranean coastal terrain was suitable for mounted action and there was a long established culture of horsemanship amongst the Arab and Berber inhabitants . The French forces included Spahi s , Chasseurs d ' Afrique , Foreign Legion cavalry and mounted Goumier s . First World War . Pre - war developments . At the beginning of the 20th century all armies still maintained substantial cavalry forces , although there was contention over whether their role should revert to that of mounted infantry ( the historic dragoon function ) . Following the experience of the South African War of 1899 - 1902 ( where mounted Boer citizen commandos fighting on foot from cover proved superior to regular cavalry ) the British Army withdrew lances for all but ceremonial purposes and placed a new emphasis on training for dismounted action . In 1908 however the six British lancer regiments in existence resumed use of this impressive but obsolete weapon for active service . In 1882 the Imperial Russian Army converted all its line hussar and lancer regiments to dragoons , with an emphasis on mounted infantry training . In 1910 these regiments reverted to their historic roles , designations and uniforms . Cavalry during opening stages . In August 1914 all combatant armies still retained substantial numbers of cavalry and the mobile nature of the opening battles on both Eastern and Western Fronts provided a number of instances of traditional cavalry actions , though on a smaller and more scattered scale than those of previous wars . The Imperial German Cavalry , while as colourful and traditional as any in peacetime appearance , had adopted a practice of falling back on infantry support when any substantial opposition was encountered . These cautious tactics aroused derision amongst their more conservative French and Russian opponents but proved appropriate to the new nature of warfare . A single attempt by the German army , on 12 August 1914 , to use six regiments of massed cavalry to cut off the Belgian field army from Antwerp foundered when they were driven back in disorder by rifle fire . Once the front lines stabilised on the Western Front , a combination of barbed wire , machine guns and rapid fire rifles proved deadly to horse mounted troops . On the Eastern Front a more fluid form of warfare arose from flat open terrain favorable to mounted warfare . On the outbreak of war in 1914 the bulk of the Russian cavalry was deployed at full strength in frontier garrisons and during the period that the main armies were mobilizing scouting and raiding into East Prussia and Austrian Galacia was undertaken by mounted troops trained to fight with sabre and lance in the traditional style . On 21 August 1914 the 4th Austro - Hungarian " Kavalleriedivison " fought a major mounted engagement at Jaroslavic with the Russian 10th Cavalry Division , in what was arguably the final historic battle to involve thousands of horsemen on both sides . While this was the last massed cavalry encounter on the Eastern Front , the absence of good roads limited the use of mechanised transport and even the technologically advanced Imperial German Army continued to deploy up to twenty - four horse - mounted divisions in the East , as late as 1917 . Cavalry in Europe 1915 – 18 . For the remainder of the War on the Western Front cavalry had virtually no role to play . The British and French armies dismounted many of their cavalry regiments and used them in infantry and other roles : the Life Guards for example spent the last months of the War as a machine gun corps ; and the Australian Light Horse served as light infantry during the Gallipoli campaign . In September 1914 cavalry comprised 9 . 28 % of the total manpower of the British Expeditionary Force in France — by July 1918 this proportion had fallen to 1 . 65 % . The German Army dismounted nearly all their cavalry in the West . Some cavalry were retained as mounted troops behind the lines in anticipation of a penetration of the opposing trenches that it seemed would never come . Tanks , introduced on the Western Front by the British in September 1916 , had the capacity to achieve such breakthroughs but did not have the reliable range to exploit them . In their first major use at the Battle of Cambrai ( 1917 ) , the plan was for a cavalry division to follow behind the tanks , however they were not able to cross a canal because a tank had broken the only bridge . It was not until the German Army had been forced to retreat in the Hundred Days Offensive of 1918 , that cavalry were again able to operate in their intended role . There was a successful charge by the British 7th Dragoon Guards on the last day of the war . In the wider spaces of the Eastern Front a more fluid form of warfare continued and there was still a use for mounted troops . Some wide - ranging actions were fought , again mostly in the early months of the war . However , even here the value of cavalry was overrated and the maintenance of large mounted formations at the front by the Russian Army put a major strain on the railway system , to little strategic advantage . Cavalry and mounted infantry in the Middle East . In the Middle East , during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign mounted forces ( British , Indian , Ottoman , Australian , Arab and New Zealand ) retained an important strategic role both as mounted infantry and cavalry . In Egypt the mounted infantry formations like the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade and Australian Light Horse of ANZAC Mounted Division operating as mounted infantry , drove German and Ottoman forces back from Romani to Magdhaba and Rafa and out of the Egyptian Sinai Peninsular in 1916 . After a stalemate on the Gaza — Beersheba line between March and October 1917 , Beersheba was captured by the Australian Mounted Division ' s 4th Light Horse Brigade . Their mounted charge succeeded after a coordinated attack by the British Infantry and Yeomanry cavalry and the Australian and New Zealand Light Horse and Mounted Rifles brigades . A series of coordinated attacks by these Egyptian Expeditionary Force infantry and mounted troops were also successful at the Battle of Mughar Ridge , during which the British infantry divisions and the Desert Mounted Corps drove two Ottoman armies back to the Jaffa — Jerusalem line . The infantry with mainly dismounted cavalry and mounted infantry fought in the Judean Hills to eventually almost encircle Jerusalem which was occupied shortly after . During a pause in operations necessitated by the Spring Offensive in 1918 on the Western Front joint infantry and mounted infantry attacks towards Amman and Es Salt resulted in retreats back to the Jordan Valley which continued to be occupied by mounted divisions during the summer of 1918 . The Australian Mounted Division was armed with swords and in September , after the successful breaching of the Ottoman line on the Mediterranean coast by the British Empire infantry XXI Corps was followed by cavalry attacks by the 4th Cavalry Division , 5th Cavalry Division and Australian Mounted Division s which almost encircled two Ottoman armies in the Judean Hills forcing their retreat . Meanwhile Chaytor ' s Force of infantry and mounted infantry in ANZAC Mounted Division held the Jordan Valley , covering the right flank to later advance eastwards to capture Es Salt and Amman and half of a third Ottoman army . A subsequent pursuit by the 4th Cavalry Division and the Australian Mounted Division followed by the 5th Cavalry Division to Damascus . Armoured cars and 5th Cavalry Division lancers were continuing the pursuit of Ottoman units north of Aleppo when the Armistice of Mudros was signed by the Ottoman Empire . Post – World War I . A combination of military conservatism in almost all armies and post - war financial constraints prevented the lessons of 1914 - 18 being acted on immediately . There was a general reduction in the number of cavalry regiments in the British , French , Italian and other Western armies but it was still argued with conviction ( for example in the 1922 edition of the " Encyclopædia Britannica " ) that mounted troops had a major role to play in future warfare . The 1920s saw an interim period during which cavalry remained as a proud and conspicuous element of all major armies , though much less so than prior to 1914 . Cavalry was extensively used in the Russian Civil War and the Soviet - Polish War . The last major cavalry battle was the Battle of Komarów in 1920 , between Poland and the Russian Bolsheviks . Colonial warfare in Morocco , Syria , the Middle East and the North West Frontier of India provided some opportunities for mounted action against enemies lacking advanced weaponry . The post - war German Army ( Reichsheer ) was permitted a large proportion of cavalry ( 18 regiments or 16 . 4 % of total manpower ) under the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles . The U . S . Cavalry abandoned its sabres in 1934 and commenced the conversion of its horsed regiments to mechanized cavalry , starting with the First Regiment of Cavalry in January 1933 . In the British Army , all cavalry regiments were mechanised between 1929 and 1941 , redefining their role from horse to armoured vehicles to form the Royal Armoured Corps together with the Royal Tank Regiment . The thirty - nine regiments of the British Indian Army were reduced to twenty - one as the result of a series of amalgamations immediately following World War I . The new establishment remained unchanged until 1936 when three regiments were redesignated as permanent training units , each with six , still mounted , regiments linked to them . In 1938 the process of mechanism began with the conversion of a full cavalry brigade ( two Indian regiments and one British ) to armoured car and tank units . By the end of 1940 all of the Indian cavalry had been mechanised , receiving light tanks , armoured cars or 15cwt trucks . The last horsed regiment of the Indian Army ( other than the Viceregal Bodyguard and some Indian States Forces regiments ) was the 19th King George ' s Own Lancers which had its last mounted parade at Rawalpindi on 28 October 1939 . This unit still exists ( though in the Pakistan Army ) with an armour TOE . During the 1930s the French Army experimented with integrating mounted and mechanised cavalry units into larger formations . Dragoon regiments were converted to motorised infantry ( trucks and motor cycles ) , and cuirassiers to armoured units ; while light cavalry ( Chasseurs a ' Cheval , Hussars and Spahis ) remained as mounted sabre squadrons . The theory was that mixed forces comprising these diverse units could utilise the strengths of each according to circumstances . In practice mounted troops proved unable to keep up with fast moving mechanised units over any distance . World War II cavalry . While most armies still maintained cavalry units at the outbreak of World War II in 1939 , significant mounted action was largely restricted to the Polish , Balkan and Soviet campaigns . Polish . A popular myth is that Polish cavalry armed with lances charged German tanks during the September 1939 campaign . This arose from misreporting of a single clash on 1 September near Krojanty , when two squadrons of the Polish 18th Lancers armed with sabres scattered German infantry before being caught in the open by German armoured cars . Two examples illustrate how the myth developed . First , because motorised vehicles were in short supply , the Poles used horses to pull anti - tank weapons into position . Second , there were a few incidents when Polish cavalry was trapped by German tanks , and attempted to fight free . However , this did not mean that the Polish army chose to attack tanks with horse cavalry . Later , on the Eastern Front , the Red Army did deploy cavalry units effectively against the Germans . A more correct term would be " mounted infantry " instead of " cavalry " , as horses were primarily used as a means of transportation , for which they were very suitable in view of the very poor road conditions in pre - war Poland . Another myth describes Polish cavalry as being armed with both sabres and lances ; lances were used for peacetime ceremonial purposes only and the primary weapon of the Polish cavalryman in 1939 was a rifle . Individual equipment did include a sabre , probably because of well - established tradition , but in the case of a melee combat this secondary weapon would probably be more effective than a rifle and bayonet . Moreover , the Polish cavalry brigade order of battle in 1939 included , apart from the mounted soldiers themselves , light and heavy machine guns ( wheeled ) , Anti - tank rifle , model 35 , anti - aircraft weapon , artillery like Bofors 37 mm anti tank gun or light and scout tanks , etc . The last cavalry vs . cavalry mutual charge in Europe took place in Poland during the battle of Krasnobrod , when Polish and German cavalry units clashed with each other . The last classical cavalry charge of the war was that made on March 1 , 1945 during the Battle of Schoenfeld by the 1st " Warsaw " Independent Cavalry Brigade . Infantry and tanks had been employed to little effect against the German position , both of which floundered in the open wetlands only to be dominated by infantry and antitank fire from the German fortifications on the forward slope of Hill 157 , overlooking the wetlands . The Germans had not taken cavalry into consideration when fortifying their position which , combined with the " Warsaw " s swift assault , overran the German anti - tank guns and consolidated into an attack into the village itself , now supported by infantry and tanks . Greek . The Italian invasion of Greece in October 1940 saw mounted cavalry used effectively by the Greek defenders along the mountainous frontier with Albania . Three Greek cavalry regiments ( two mounted and one partially mechanised ) played an important role in the Italian defeat in this difficult terrain . The Commander of the Greek Cavalry Division was General Georgios Stanotas . Soviet . By the final stages of the war only the Soviet Union was still fielding mounted units in substantial numbers , some in combined mechanized and horse units . The advantage of this approach was that in exploitation mounted infantry could keep pace with advancing tanks . Other factors favouring the retention of mounted forces included the high quality of Russian Cossacks and other horse cavalry ; and the relative lack of roads suitable for wheeled vehicles in many parts of the Eastern Front . Another consideration was that the logistic capacity required to support very large motorised forces exceeded that necessary for mounted troops . Italian . The last mounted saber charge by Italian cavalry occurred on August 24 , 1942 at Isbuscenski ( Russia ) , when a squadron of the " Savoia Cavalry Regiment " regiment charged the " 812th Siberian Infantry Regiment " . The remainder of the regiment , together with the Novara Lancers made a dismounted attack in an action that ended with the retreat of the Russians after heavy losses on both sides . The final Italian cavalry action occurred on October 17 , 1942 in Pola ( Croatia ) by a squadron of " Alexandria Cavalry Regiment " against a large group of Yugoslav partisans . Other Axis . Romanian , Hungarian and Italian cavalry were dispersed or disbanded following the retreat of the Axis forces from Russia . Germany still maintained some mounted ( mixed with bicycles ) SS and Cossack units until the last days of the War . Finnish . Finland used mounted troops against Russian forces effectively in forested terrain during winter warfare . The last Finnish cavalry unit was not disbanded until 1947 . US . The U . S . Army ' s last horse cavalry actions were fought during World War II : a ) by the 26th Cavalry Regiment — a small mounted regiment of Philippine Scouts which fought the Japanese during the retreat down the Bataan peninsula , until it was effectively destroyed by January 1942 ; and b ) on captured German horses by the mounted reconnaissance section of the U . S . 10th Mountain Division in a spearhead pursuit of the German Army across the Po Valley in Italy in April 1945 . The last horsed U . S . Cavalry ( the Second Cavalry Division ) were dismounted in March 1944 . British Empire . All British Army cavalry regiments had been mechanised since 1 March 1942 when the Queen ' s Own Yorkshire Dragoons ( Yeomanry ) was converted to a motorised role , following mounted service against the Vichy French in Syria the previous year . The final cavalry charge by British Empire forces occurred on 21 March 1942 when a 60 strong patrol of the Burma Frontier Force encountered Japanese infantry near Toungoo airfield in central Burma . The Sikh sowar s of the Frontier Force cavalry , led by Captain Arthur Sandeman of The Central India Horse ( 21st King George V ' s Own Horse ) , charged in the old style with sabres and most were killed . Mongolia . In the early stages of World War II , mounted units of the Mongolian People ' s Army were involved in the Battle of Khalkhin Gol against invading Japanese forces . Soviet forces under the command of Georgy Zhukov , together with Mongolian forces , defeated the Japanese Sixth army and effectively ended the Soviet – Japanese Border Wars . After the Soviet – Japanese Neutrality Pact of 1941 , Mongolia remained neutral throughout most of the war , but its geographical situation meant that the country served as a buffer between Japanese forces and the Soviet Union . In addition to keeping around 10 % of the population under arms , Mongolia provided half a million trained horses for use by the Soviet Army . In 1945 a partially mounted Soviet - Mongolian Cavalry Mechanized Group played a supporting role on the western flank of the Soviet invasion of Manchuria . The last active service seen by cavalry units of the Mongolian Army occurred in 1946 – 1948 , during border clashes between Mongolia and the Republic of China . Post – World War II to present day . The Soviet Army retained horse cavalry divisions until 1955 , and even at the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 , there was an independent horse mounted cavalry squadron in Kyrgyzstan . While most modern " cavalry " units have some historic connection with formerly mounted troops this is not always the case . The modern Irish Defence Force ( IDF ) includes a " Cavalry Corps " equipped with armoured cars and Scorpion tracked combat reconnaissance vehicles . The IDF has never included horse cavalry since its establishment in 1922 ( other than a small mounted escort drawn from the Artillery Corps when required for ceremonial occasions ) . However , the mystique of the cavalry is such that the name has been introduced for what was always a mechanised force . Some engagements in late 20th and early 21st century guerrilla wars involved mounted troops , particularly against partisan or guerrilla fighters in areas with poor transport infrastructure . Such units were not used as cavalry but rather as mounted infantry . Examples occurred in Afghanistan , Portuguese Africa and Rhodesia . The French Army used existing mounted squadrons of Spahi s to a limited extent for patrol work during the Algerian War ( 1954 – 62 ) and the Swiss Army maintained a mounted dragoon regiment for combat purposes until 1973 . There were reports of Chinese mounted troops in action during frontier clashes with Vietnam in the mid / late 1970s . The Portuguese Army used horse mounted cavalry with some success in the wars of independence in Angola and Mozambique in the 1960s and 1970s . During the 1964 - 79 Rhodesian Bush War the Rhodesian Army created an elite mounted infantry unit called Grey ' s Scouts to fight unconventional actions against the rebel forces of Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo . The horse mounted infantry of the Scouts were effective and reportedly feared by their opponents in the rebel African forces . In the 1978 to present Afghan Civil War period there have been several instances of horse mounted combat . South and Central American armies maintained mounted cavalry for longer than those of Europe , Asia or North America . The Mexican Army included a number of horse mounted cavalry regiments as late as the mid - 1990s and the Chilean Army had five such regiments in 1983 as mounted mountain troops ( see Jane ' s " Armed Forces of Latin America " by Adrian J . English ) . A number of armored regiments in the British Army retain the historic designations of Hussars , Dragoons , Dragoon Guards or Lancers . Only the Household Cavalry squadrons maintained for ceremonial duties in London are mounted . Cavalry or mounted gendarmerie units continue to be maintained for purely or primarily ceremonial purposes by the United States , British , French , Italian , Danish , Swedish , Dutch , Chilean , Portuguese , Moroccan , Algerian , Nepalese , Nigerian , Venezuelan , Brazilian , Peruvian , Paraguayan , Polish , Argentine , Senegalese , Jordanian , Pakistani , Indian , Spanish and Bulgarian armed forces . The Army of the Russian Federation has recently reintroduced a ceremonial mounted squadron wearing historic uniforms . Several armored units of the modern United States Army retain the designation of " Armoured cavalry " . The United States also has " air cavalry " units equipped with helicopter s . The Horse Cavalry Detachment of the U . S . Army ' s 1st Cavalry Division is made up of active duty soldiers , still functions as an active unit , trained to approximate the weapons , tools , equipment and techniques used by the United States Cavalry in the 1880s . In addition , the Parsons ' Mounted Cavalry is a Reserve Officer Training Corps unit which forms part of the Corps of Cadets at Texas A & M University . The French Army still has regiments with the historic designations of Cuirassiers , Hussars , Chasseurs , Dragoons and Spahi s . Only the cavalry of the Republican Guard and a ceremonial " fanfare " detachment of trumpeters for the cavalry / armoured branch as a whole are now mounted . In the Canadian Army , a number of regular and reserve units have cavalry roots , including The Royal Canadian Hussars ( Montreal ) , the Governor General ' s Horse Guards , Lord Strathcona ' s Horse , the Royal Canadian Dragoons , and the South Alberta Light Horse . Of these , only Lord Strathcona ' s Horse and the Governor General ' s Horse Guards maintain an official ceremonial horse - mounted cavalry troop or squadron . Both the Australian and New Zealand armies follow the British practice of maintaining traditional titles ( Light Horse or Mounted Rifles ) for modern mechanised units . However , neither country retains a horse - mounted unit . Today , the Indian Army ' s 61st Cavalry is reported to be the largest remaining non - ceremonial horse - mounted cavalry in the world . It was raised in 1951 from the amalgamated state cavalry squadrons of Gwailior , Jodhpur , and Mysore . While primarily utilised for ceremonial purposes , the regiment can be deployed for internal security or police roles if required . The 61st Cavalry and the President ' s Body Guard parade in full dress uniform in New Delhi each year in what is probably the largest assembly of traditional cavalry still to be seen in the world . Both the Indian and the Pakistani armies maintain armoured regiments with the titles of Lancer s or Horse , dating back to the 19th century . As of 2007 the Chinese People ' s Liberation Army employed two battalions of horse cavalry in Xinjing Military District for border patrol work ( see China - Defense . com website ) . In the wake of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake , there have been calls to rebuild the army horse inventory for disaster relief in difficult terrain . Recent Chinese media reporting confirms that the Chinese army maintains operational horse cavalry at squadron strength in the Mongolia Autonomous Region . Light and armored cavalry . Historically , cavalry was divided into light and armoured cavalry and horse archer s . The differences were their role in combat , the size of the mount , and how much armor was worn by the mount and rider . Early light cavalry ( like the auxiliaries of the Roman army ) were typically used to scout and skirmish , to cut down retreating infantry , and for defeating enemy missile troops . Armoured cavalry such as the Byzantine cataphract were used as shock troops — they would charge the main body of the enemy and , in many cases , their actions decided the outcome of the battle , hence the later term " battle cavalry " . During the Gunpowder Age , armored cavalry become obsolete . However , many units retained cuirass es and helmets for their protective value against sword and bayonet strikes and the morale boost these provide to the wearers . By this time the main difference between light and battle cavalry was their training ; the former was regarded as a tool for harassment and reconnaissance , while the latter was considered best for close - order charges . Since the development of armored warfare the distinction between light and heavy armor has persisted basically along the same lines . Armored car s and light tank s have adopted the reconnaissance role while medium and heavy tanks are regarded as the decisive shock troops . Social status . From the beginning of civilization to the 20th century , ownership of heavy cavalry horses has been a mark of wealth amongst settled peoples . A cavalry horse involves considerable expense in breeding , training , feeding , and equipment , and has very little productive use except as a mode of transport . For this reason , and because of their often decisive military role , the cavalry has typically been associated with high social status . This was most clearly seen in the feudal system , where a lord was expected to enter combat armored and on horseback and bring with him an entourage of peasants on foot . If landlords and peasants came into conflict , the peasants would be ill - equipped to defeat armored knights . In later national armies , service as an officer in the cavalry was generally a badge of high social status . For instance prior to 1914 most officers of British cavalry regiments came from a socially privileged background and the considerable expenses associated with their role generally required private means , even after it became possible for officers of the line infantry regiments to live on their pay . Options open to poorer cavalry officers in the various European armies included service with less fashionable ( though often highly professional ) frontier or colonial units . These included the British Indian cavalry , the Russian Cossacks or the French Chasseurs d ' Afrique . During the 19th and early 20th centuries most monarchies maintained a mounted cavalry element in their royal or imperial guards . These ranged from small units providing ceremonial escorts and palace guards through to large formations intended for active service . The mounted escort of the Spanish Royal Household provided an example of the former and the twelve cavalry regiments of the Prussian Imperial Guard an example of the latter . In either case the officers of such units were likely to be drawn from the aristocracies of their respective societies . On film . Some small sense of the noise and power of a cavalry charge can be gained from the 1970 film " Waterloo " , which featured some 2000 cavalrymen , some of them cossacks . It included detailed displays of the horsemanship required to manage animal and weapons in large numbers at the gallop ( unlike the real battle of Waterloo , where deep mud significantly slowed the horses ) . The Gary Cooper movie " They Came to Cordura " contains an excellent scene of a cavalry regiment deploying from march to battleline formation . A smaller - scale cavalry charge can be seen in " " ( 2003 ) ; although the finished scene has substantial computer - generated imagery , raw footage and reactions of the riders are shown in the Extended Version DVD Appendices . Other films that show cavalry actions include :