Help with British 10th Hussars

[Historex Rob]

A couple of questions…

Does anyone have a rear view of the fur colbak/busby or know how/if they attach at the rear? Every uniform plate I have shows only a front view.

Did the British cavalrymen hold the reins like the French cavalrymen (left hand, between fingers), or did they hold them in another grip/fashion?

Did the cavalryman hold the reins differently while galloping at full charge?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Merryweather]

I took this pic a few weeks ago at the Hussars Museum in Winchester.

It IS a back view, but the accuracy is questionable(see the caption)

Hope it helps
N

 

[Historex Rob]

I took this pic a few weeks ago at the Hussars Museum in Winchester.

It IS a back view, but the accuracy is questionable(see the caption)

It does; much appreciated (I will have to go back and change the bag, as I have it on the left also based off a Knotel (I think) plate.

 

[NigelR]

Did the British cavalrymen hold the reins like the French cavalrymen (left hand, between fingers), or did they hold them in another grip/fashion?

Did the cavalryman hold the reins differently while galloping at full charge?

According to one of the magnificent Historex catalogues, British and French cavalry had different grips. Bryan Fosten did an article in which he shows the bit and bridoon rein held between the second, third and fourth fingers, with the end loops coming out if the top of the hand under the thumb, see below:

This may be correct for the Brits (and it seems to be the way many reenactors hold the reins), but M Lelieprve corrects this at the bottom of the same page saying the French only held the bit rein, the bridoon was shorter and left loose. The bit rein is not held through the fingers but through the top and bottom of the hand (see below, taken from another thread on this topic):

Regarding charges, the 1799 British cavalry regulations don't appear to say anything specific about how the reins are held. They do say "at the instant of the shock, the body must be well back; the horse not restrained by the bitt, but determined forward by the spur". So probably you don't want the reins too tight (but I am no horse rider!).

 

[Historex Rob]

Thank you, Nigel. I have only one Historex catalog, and it doesn’t have this article. This will do nicely.

 

[NigelR]

Thank you, Nigel. I have only one Historex catalog, and it doesn’t have this article. This will do nicely.

I have three, all still inspirational. I used to have four but I seem to have lost one over the years. Lots of useful stuff in them. They bring back many happy memories.....

If you want the 1799 Regulations, they are available here: https://books.google.co.uk/books/ab..._for_the_For.html?id=PPIK4PWW2qMC&redir_esc=y

Lots of interesting stuff in there. There's a lot of old documents available for free online these days.

 

[Historex Rob]

Thank you. Much appreciated.