"What Color for the French Cuirassiers' Horses?" Topic

What color were the French Cuirassiers' horses (other than black)?

Bays and browns, except, as I recall, the trumpeters' horses, which were grey

At times, finding remounts was so hard that almost anything with four legs would do!

Paint them whatever you think looks best. A case can be made for all black, mostly black, or a complete mixture.
You pays your money etc, etc……

I would not do my curiassier horses all black. The horse grenadiers of the guard rode blacks. The two regiments of carabiniers were supposed to be on blacks. I am not sure how many black horses of the size requirements of the curiassier regiments they would have after those units took the blacks.
I cannot recall reading anything indicating all black horses for cuirassiers. At most, I would expect one company per regiment to be on blacks.
It was common in the light cavalry of the line for the elite company (first company of the first squadron) to be on blacks. So, that would be 1/8th of the regiment.
With 14 regiments of curiassiers and two of carabiniers, we have two out of 16, or again 1/8 on blacks. Same ratio. That looks like plenty of blacks.
Just my two cents worth.
Tom

I did mine as bays because I had just gotten some new paint and after some mixing with brown it looked really good to me, so I did all my Cuirassiers and my Carabiniers á Cheval as bays.

In my mind this is one of those things where the "official" gets debated, the "myth" gets generally accepted, and the "reality" is entirely unknown but was probably a mix as others just described. Hence why I do not feel bad having mine on light bays.

Cheers,

The Bandit

I agree with Cerdic, any mount will do regardless of colour. I have an illustration of a cuirassier during the retreat from Moscow on a Cossack pony with his feet trailing on the ground.

I was about to post "Black", but realized that I would need to do further research to be sure. Traditionally, heavy cavalry were mounted on black horse, but I could be thinking of different eras/armies. I would stick to what better informed posters here have said. Black may have been restricted to specific elite regiments.

That said, I do know that bays and chestnuts were the preferred horse type for most regular cavalry. (Leaving greys for officers/musicians.)

Let Bacchus' sons be not dismayed
But join with me, each jovial blade
Come, drink and sing and lend your aid
To help me with the chorus:

Instead of spa, we'll drink brown ale
And pay the reckoning on the nail;
No man for debt shall go to jail
From Garryowen in glory.

….

I find painting the horses different colours for the different types of cavalry helps enormously when trying to identify them on the table – partcularly with 6mm!!

@ Steven H Smith

did you mean to post that somewhere else? What's it got to do with the price of fish?

Back on track, is it true the British Household Cavalry horses were supposed to be all black?

Thanks guys! I think I will paint my Cuirassiers' horses Bay… At least for that first unit. I'll try to post pictures on Steve Dean Forum or on the LAF Forum. I've got a LOT of stuff to paint on the table right now ranging from the War of Spanish Succession to Sci-Fi… I really need to learn to stay focus… LOL

Lordie!,

No, I intended to post it here.

Keep on fishing.

Big Al

Well apparently I got it all wrong. My bad! I was under the false impression than Bay was a golden color… You can see the WIP of my Cuirassiers here; link

Thanks again for your help.

Very confused the topic is Cuirassier horse colours we then get the Gary Owen and Big Al who is Big Al and does the name come from the TV series the Beidecker Affair.

Wags,

Lordie, the topic IS cuirassier horse colours! Get it?

I bet you think Garyowen is two words, too. Get it?

Big Al, Wags, is the REAL name of 'Steven H. Smith'. Get it? Think MAGNUS. Get it?

Now let's get back to THE TOPIC! Get it?

Get it. Got it. It's yours.

Big Al

Good point about the horse colour – all of my cuirassiers are 6 mm

Can I have some of what Steven is having please!!!

Unfortunately I don't GET IT it's such a shame that on one forum you are extremely helpful to people and yet on this one you are a complete clown not to say insulting this I definitely don't GET. GET them to change your medication you are definitely becoming a grumpy old man much as Big Al in the Beidecker affair.

@ Frederick,

When painting 6mm figures, I paint all my Cuirassiers Horses' Black, the Chasseurs Horses' Brown and the Dragoons Horses' a kind of "Golden Yellow/Brown". It's useful to identify the figures on the tabletop.

Wags,

The topic IS cuirassier horse colours! Move on.

Big Al

If the topic is Cuirassier horse colours why the words to Garyowen (used one word this time) is this relevant to the colour of the horse or just a stupid joke that adds absolutely nothing to this discussion.

Wags,

Move on!

BIG Al

I for one have no idea what he is on, or on about, but am finding it all most amusing.

Moving on, no one has answered my question about British cavalry, were Household on black horses?

Am certainly moving on but could you please do us all a great favour and stop with the stupid jokes, the Big Al stuff. I come to the forum to try and learn something about a period that I am interested in and not and I repeat not to read about Big Al. Would really enjoy your posts if they were the same caliber as the ones you post on the Napoleon Series site or are the moderators more strict and will not let you get up to your tricks?

It is said, "Musick has Charms to sooth a savage Breast". I therefore send these lyrics to our TMP colleagues Wags and Lordie, as well as our legion of fans across the eather:

Yippee Ti Yi Yo, get along little dogies
It's your misfortune and none of my own
Yippee Ti Yi Yo get along little dogies
….

Get along little dogies!

With all the sincerity I can muster,

BIG AL

@ Lord Hill,

Sorry about that… I have no clue about the color of the Household Horses'… Do you know if there is a way I can edit my post to ad your question in the topic title? Maybe that would help? Or you could start a new topic… anyway LMK.

Cheers!

British Household Cavalry (1st & 2nd Life Guards, Blues) were all supposed to be mounted on black horses, trumpeters on white. This would undoubtedly have been true for the brief Waterloo campaign; how long they maintained this during their brief spell in the Peninsula is another matter. Several British heavy cavalry regiments had the nickname "The Black Horse" at various times in their history due to a particular colonel having a penchant for black horses; otherwise, dragoons and dragoon guards had a mix of dark brown, bay and chestnut, usually sorted by squadron. Light cavalry had a similar mix, but appear to have been less fussy, preferring lightness and nimbleness to colour. There were two "odd" regiments, The Bays (2nd Dragoon Guards?) and the Royal Scots Greys, that were mounted exclusively on one colour other than black.

During the 18th Century, the trend in Europe was to mount all horse/cuirassiers/heavy cavalry/guards on black horses (supposedly the darker the coat, the stronger the animal – at least that was what they thought at the time). Dragoons had the various brown colours – usually sorted by squadron – and light cavalry generally got the lightest colours, and might – or might not – sort by squadron. Someone has posted above that the French light cavalry and dragoons gave the elite company black horses; this was the official rule and was obeyed where possible on campaign. Otherwise, I think only the two regiments of Carabiniers a Cheval, and the Grenadiers a Cheval of the Imperial Guard were mounted exclusively on blacks.

I believe that the cuirassiers favoured the Norman horse, which tends to be black or dark brown, for its strength.

Thanks very much Supercilius!

I fear Big Al will be commited quite soon he has clearly lost the plot, which is a shame as his other half Smith H Smith is extremely useful on the other site (Napoleon Series)It may just be the TMP site that brings out his other half, hopefully he may one day make a full recovery

Wags,

The only thing you have to fear is fear itself.

You're that Kelly guy with all the different TMP names, aren't you?

Move on, little dogie!

Big Al

Big Al,
Will take your advice will however continue to follow your amusing posts even if they contain nothing relevant to the period you are always worth a laugh TTFN

ttfn, Wags.

Cuirassiers – black, GB Guards – black, carabiniers – black….but seeing as I find highlighting black a bit of a pig then I do mine as campaign remounts and various hues of brown!

Oh, for what its worth Mrs Rob UK says that black horses actually very rare and most "black" horses are dark bay! But what does she know anyway ;-)

hussarbob1746.webs.com/index.htm

<<Oh, for what its worth Mrs Rob UK says that black horses actually very rare and most "black" horses are dark bay!>>

Rob, I believe that that is true of modern riding breeds that most of us would see out and about nowadays, and in which black is a regressive colour to grey and bay. However, I think the larger types used as heavy cavalry mounts in the 18th and 19th centuries (and which have become less common since the advent of the internal combustion engine) were predominantly black. IIRC, the Prussian and Hanoverian cavalry – generally regarded as the best in Europe – rode Holsteins(?), whilst Friesians were popular with other armies, and of course our own Shire, descended from the Great Horse of the mediaeval and renaissance periods. All three of these types produce high numbers of black foals – in fact, I believe all of the original Holstein stallions were black. Even today, specialist breeders in Ireland provide all of the British Army's horses which, in the case of the cavalry, are almost all black.

(Sorry to read about your father. RIP.)

SM – I'll bring this to the attention of Mrs Rob UK!!! My horse colours go by the easiest colour to paint!

Thank you, for your message re: my Dad,it's appreciated. He loved his model soldiers.

hussarbob1746.webs.com/index.htm

We could do with a "sticky" for this topic

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As for Big Al – wasn't he on Laugh-in (Rowan & Martin)

There are dozens of online sites which discuss horse colors.

Dark colored horses are preferred because their hides are more durable and the dark hairs protect them from sunburn. Lighter colored horses had thinner and less durable hides which did not tolerate the weather or work as well, developing sores from overwork when darker horses did not.

Grays are particularly interesting as their coats turn from gray to dapple to pure white as they age.

Good gaming.

Bob Coggins