Standard remount issue furniture with a 12th Lancer O/R
Shabraque of blue and edged with two bands of yellow lace.
An LY Officer's Charger in 1939.
LY Officers Horse Furniture c1939
LY Bridle Boss c1920 onwards
Drum horse Headband
Cavalry Training: A "Yeomanry" Regiment still mounted in the old
style c1930's.
Leicestershire (PAO) Yeomanry
Regimental Standing Orders 1928
Appendix IX.
I. Service Dress Page 74
A. Obligatory Detail of Uniform to be worn by officers:-
Saddlery :- A complete set of Officers' Saddlery will be issued
to each Officer. The following additional articles are required
:-
Jowl plume, white, with plain plated boss. Regimental bridle
bosses, obtainable from the Regimental Saddler-Staff Sergeant,
to whom must be sent one pair of bronze collar badges.
Appendix XI Drill Order Mounted Page 76 Officers :- Service Dress; issued
Saddlery, without wallets; jowl plume, except on tactical work;
shoe case empty; sword on the saddle.
Other Ranks :- Service dress, issued Saddlery; rifle and sword
on the saddle; saddle otherwise stripped; shoe case empty.
Church Parade Order Mounted
Page 76
All ranks :- As for drill order, mounted, but with medals, and
without rifle.
Marching Order Page 77-8
(The detail is given in terms of other ranks, and Officers will
conform.) On the horse
Blankets :- Under the saddle.
Cloak :- Rolled 32 inches in length, place on the front arch of
the saddle.
Waterproof sheet :- Rolled as the cloak, and placed on the top
of the cloak so that the buckles of the straps lie midway
between the top of the cloak and the front arch of the saddle,
with tongues and buckles downward.
Mess Tin :- Strapped on to the rifle bucket, holes of the tin
uppermost.
Water bucket :- Placed over the rifle bucket.
Straps, SPP :- On the shoe case strap, near side.
Pegs, 2 :- Loops placed over the scabbard, and the pegs hung
down the side of the scabbard.
Hay net :- Placed on top of the pegs, so that the pegs and the
hay net are secured round the scabbard by the strap SPP.
Nose bag :- Strap to pass through the "D" of the rear fan of the
saddle, through the centre "D" of the rear arch of the saddle,
and fastened so that the bag lies in front of the sword.
Head rope :- Through the lower ring of the back strap of the
head collar, and knotted round the neck with four and a half
coils.
Built up rope :- Placed over the horse's neck, with the ring on
the off side.
Heel shackle :- The strap through both rings of the head collar,
and coiled on to the ring of the built up rope.
Grooming kit :- In the nose bag.
On the man
Water bottle :- With strap over left shoulder, the bottle under
the right arm, and hung up to the right shoulder.
Haversack :- Over right shoulder, under left arm , the bottom
edge of the haversack being in line with the button of the
bottom pocket of the SD jacket.
Bandolier :- Over the left shoulder.
Field glasses (those to whom issued) :- Over the left shoulder,
and under the bandolier.
Revolver (those to whom issued) :- on the left side, with the
lanyard round the neck.
Revolver pouch (those to whom issued) :- On the right side.
Steel helmets will be worn.
WW1 British Cavalry Troop in the "Charge" c1914
WW1 standard saddle kit.
Major Burkitt (MO) c1914.
Military Universal steel arch pattern.
Staff, Yeomanry and Colonial Pattern saddle of c.1904, with the
rifle bucket introduced in 1884.
"Colonels Prize for Best Turnout", Tpr A E Baker on "Mayflower"
c1913.
You can clearly see the "Yeomanry" Pattern Saddle and bridle as
see above.
Brass Field Bridle Boss c1910 The White Metal Bridle Boss is the
Yeomanry Cavalry pattern and the brass pattern is Regular
Cavalry.
Major The Hon P C Evans-Freke and his grey
Charger c1910.
1902 Pattern Port mouth bit.
Pommel Wallets O/R
Pickett Post & Nose bag
Neck rope c1900
Pickett Chain WW1
LY Officers Mounts, note the brass field boss's, the
white throat plumes with brass onion and the brass "stirrup
Slips" (possibly engraved "LYC") c1913.
Captain The Hon P C Evans-Freke's grey
Charger in 1904.
Yeomanry Training: The final charge on the Boer position in the
Military Tournament at Hightown Camp.
Yeomanry Recruits at Riding Drill Hall Knightsbridge Barracks,
1900.
A Trooper of the
Imperial Yeomanry, 2nd Boer War.
LYC Field Officer c1897 in review order, showing the white
throat plume, neck rope, LYCPAO bridle bosses, LYCPAO breast plate
boss, brass
stirrup slips and Hussar
stirrups.
LYC Victorian Silver Bridle Boss c1860 onwards. This also
appears to have been worn on the officers charger's breastplate.
(see the top picture of the LYC Field Officer).
As Hussars, the Leicestershire Yeomanry Cavalry were entitled to
wear a black Lamb/sheepskin shabraque escalloped in the
regimental facing colour from 1873 to 1900. This was also worn
when the LYC were Light Dragoons without the escalloped edge. In
1885 on inspection by the Duke of Cambridge, this item is not
worn in review order.
Yeomanry Hussars were also entitled to wear leopard skin
shabraques (two forms shown above), however, only a few Yeomanry
regiments would afford the expense. If the Leicestershire
Yeomanry ever did wear this as part of their furniture then it
would have been on rare occasions and probably borrowed from
another Yeomanry.
PAOLYC HUSSAR
This is an artist impression of a PAOLYC "Field" officer in full
Hussar turnout. This is just a speculative Horse
furniture based on Hussars c1870. In reality the LYC wore
a very modest horse furniture compared to the Yorkshire
or the Gloucestershire Hussars for example. The LYC did
not wear a Pelisse, they wore a half cloak that was a
part of their "Light Dragoon" uniform prior to becoming
Hussars (also the black sheep skin saddle cover).
O/R Bit c1911
Victorian Curb Bit (Senior Officer)
A Troop in drill order c1895.
mid
Victorian Curb Bit (Other Ranks)
Victorian
review order throat plume holder
c1900 Brass onion throat plume
holder
Hussar Saddle c1890
Examples of "Stirrup Slips"
from the 5th
Dragoon Guards and 20th Hussars.
Above are examples of Yeomanry Stirrup Slips. LYC examples have
yet to surface and if there are examples they will more than
likely be engraved "LYC".
Hussar Stirrups and Lance bucket Hussar Stirrup.
Lance bucket.
Victorian breastplate & Crupper with cypher close up.
LYC Trooper c1890
List of Saddlery issued to Yeoman 1899
1
Saddle tree with flaps and tabs
1
Girth
1
Pair panels
1
Pair Wallets
1
Pair wallet straps
1
Centre cloak strap
1
Pair Stirrup leathers and runners
1
Pair stirrup irons
1
Surcingle
1
Sword frog
1
Carbine bucket
1
Bridle, curb head, stall and reins
1
Bridoon, with reins
1
Head collar
1
Head rope
1
Breast plate and strap
The
painting may be viewed at Leicester Museums & Galleries
collections,
New Walk Museum, 53 New Walk
Leicester
Leicestershire Yeomanry Quarter Master in 1841. As you can
see from the painting, all the leather is black apart from
the saddle. The shabraque is a black lambskin or sheepskin
covering the saddle bags (front) and over the saddle then
tucked under the rear saddle role. The surcingle is yellow
and red striped in the same way that the waist belt of the
uniform is striped, its not clear in these pictures but
viewing the painting confirms this. There is no badge on the
breastplate and a crupper is worn. The bit is standard for
the period and there appears to be no other ornaments on the
bridle.
A decorated bridle head band, black sheep skin seat cover
with what appears to be an ornamented Shabraque.
Horses and Saddlery Published 1965 by J A Allen & Company
Major G Tylden The Yeomanry
Pages 162-3
As every formation of Yeomanry, whatever the strength might
be, was to all intents and purposes a law unto itself as to
what uniform and equipment was to be used, it is not easy to
say what Saddlery any one unit had. By the end of the
nineteenth century U.P. Saddles were drawn from Ordnance,
the type varying with state of the saddles in store. The
annual camp, not always held, and few days drill in the year
did not lead to undue wear and tear, so Saddlery would last
a Yeomanry unit considerably longer than the Regular one.
There is extant a list of 24 units in existence in 1850 who
made returns of Saddlery in use. certainly up to about 1890,
and in some cases later, many men rode their hunting
saddles, called "Plain Saddles", irrespective of the type
selected by their unit.
In 1850 the Derbyshire and West Somerset units had these
saddles, presumably used by all ranks. In many cases the
officers had different saddles to the men.
Three units, Ayrshire, Cambridgeshire and Cheshire, had
Heavy Dragoon patterns, as had the Long Melford Lancers of
Suffolk. The Ayrshire men had the old pattern, probably that
of 1796.
The Light Cavalry patterns were popular and were called
"Hussar", "Light Dragoon", or "Cossack" saddles. As one
regiment , the 1st West Yorkshire, had "the old Light
Dragoon saddle", the three names presumably refer to the
post 1816 loose pilch seat Hussar pattern, as used
by Regular Light cavalry to 1855. The Staffordshire unit had
black saddles for the officers and brown for the men.
The North Devon has saddles as for the 14th Light Dragoons,
but with panels instaed of blankets, and an illustration
shows the Royal 1st Devon in 1840 with an officer using an
Hussar saddle with a lambskin and no shabraque. After 1855
the U.P. wood arch saddle was used when available. Thus the
Gloucestershire Hussars were issued with 200 in 1881 and in
1885 the Berkshire regiment had round cantle saddles,
possibly an experimental issue of the 1844 pattern, which
had been on trial for some time.
Faced with the problem of providing some 10,000 sets of
Saddlery for the Imperial Yeomanry companies raised in 1899
for the South African War, the civilian Committee, which was
responsible for all equipment and uniforms, nut not arms,
had to take what ever was available. There was an attempt to
get saddles made by the firms who supplied civilian types,
but this proved impossible; for one thing the price would
have prohibitive, and the result was that any types
available were got together and issued. these varied from
the U.P. wood arch saddle to the Colonial type, and included
R.A. drivers' saddles, known as "Artillery" saddles and
liked. By 1901 many of the units had the Colonial saddle,
which stoop up well to the rough work and, as by this time
as little as possible was carried on the saddle, they proved
amply strong enough. With a big surplus of these saddles on
hand they were issued to the Imperial Yeomanry in great
Britain in 1902, the manufacturers making a slightly lighter
pattern for other ranks than the officers' pattern. By 1916
the Yeomanry, no longer "Imperial", but part of the
Territorial Force, were receiving the U.P. steel arch
saddle.
Here is an officers charger of the Queens Royal Hussars on
parade in full review kit in 2007.
