For centuries, the strength of Britain’s armed forces rode alongside its soldiers. From medieval campaigns to the trenches of the First World War, horses were central to military power.
The rise of tanks and helicopters appeared to end that era, but today, the British Army is quietly rediscovering the value of the war horse.
The shift has been prompted, in part, by an unexpected development in Estonia. Within the Estonian Defence League, a small group of volunteers has formed a mounted unit to tackle terrain where modern vehicles struggle. In a country where more than half the land is forested and much of it boggy, they argue that horses can succeed where even advanced platforms like the CV90 cannot.
After field exercises in southern Estonia, the unit reported that horses were able to move more effectively than armoured vehicles in dense woodland and marshland. What might once have seemed outdated has drawn serious interest from British military planners.
At the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment has begun putting the concept to the test. Best known for their ceremonial role at events such as the King’s Birthday Parade, these soldiers are also trained for combat.
In a significant update to the Princess Elizabeth Cup, a competition dating back 77 years, a mounted navigation exercise has been introduced. Soldiers were tasked with crossing the challenging Barossa Training Area on horseback, relying solely on map and compass, without GPS or digital assistance.
The experience proved demanding. Trooper Newell, 21, described the difficulty:
“It was pretty rough at the start trying to find my bearings,” he said. “It’s a completely different experience being mounted on a horse. There was thick gorse, deep mud and dense woodland. The horses loved it, but navigating with just a map and a compass in that terrain was tough. It was also pretty hairy when the horses heard gunfire on the ranges, there was a lot of rearing up and spinning round. It’s a serious challenge trying to keep your horse under control while also following the map.”
Trooper Speirs, 18, added:
“It was incredible to ride through the woods, especially at speed! My horse Passchendaele is really fast – he spooks at a lot of things. Some signs swinging in the wind had him rearing up, but I stayed on and kept going. Reading a map while trotting though is really hard!”
For commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Ben McNeil, the purpose is clear:
“The only way we can be better as soldiers is to do the basics well. A cavalryman is platform-centric whatever that platform is – a horse or an armoured vehicle. If you can navigate while riding an unpredictable, powerful animal, you’re exercising every part of your brain at once, and if you can keep calm in all that chaos you can be a formidable force to reckon with, whatever the context.”
The competition now tests far more than ceremonial skill, with soldiers assessed on fitness, marksmanship, navigation and resilience. The winner receives a silver cup from the monarch at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
The renewed focus on horses is not without precedent. During operations in Afghanistan, British and allied forces used horses and mules to transport supplies through mountainous regions inaccessible to vehicles. Historically, the scale was far greater. By the end of the First World War, Britain had deployed hundreds of thousands of horses across multiple theatres.
Modern warfare continues to evolve, but recent conflicts have reinforced the importance of adaptability. In difficult terrain, simple and reliable methods can still offer a tactical advantage.
The British Army is not replacing tanks with cavalry. However, by revisiting traditional skills and combining them with modern training, it is ensuring that, whatever the battlefield demands, it remains ready.
Main Image: MOD Crown Copyright News / Editorial Licence.
