Cavalry

Part of a series on
War
History Prehistoric Ancient War in the Middle Ages (see Middle Ages) Early modern Late modern industrial fourth-generation
Battlespace Air/war above ground Sea Land Cold-region Desert Jungle Mountain Urban Subterranean Tunnel Cyber Information Space Airborne Amphibious Blue Brown Green Surface warfare Underwater
Weapons Artillery Biological Camouflage Cavalry Chemical Class Disinformation Drone Electronic Infantry Nuclear Psychological Unconventional Armor Barrage Combined arms Conventional Cyber Denial Lawfare Loitering Music Lawfare Loitering Music
Tactics Battle Charge Counterattack Counter-rebellion (see Rebellion) Envelopment Guerrilla Siege Trench Withdrawal List of military tactics Aerial Cavalry Defeat in detail Foxhole Morale Rapid dominance Swarming Tactical objective Target saturation
Operational Blitzkrieg Expeditionary Deep operation Maneuver Operational manoeuvre group
Strategy Attrition Defence in depth Fabian Offensive Scorched earth List of military strategies and concepts Counter-offensive Culminating Mosaic Deception Defensive Depth Goal Naval
Grand strategy Containment Economic Limited Philosophy Political Religious Strategic Technology Theater Total war
Administrative Branch Policy Staff Training Service Sociology
Organization Chain of command Command and control Doctrine Engineers Intelligence Ranks Technology and equipment
Personnel Military recruitment Conscription Recruit training Military specialism Women in the military Children in the military Transgender people and military service Conscientious objector Counter-recruitment
Logistics Military–industrial complex Arms industry Materiel Supply-chain management Main operating base Forward operating base Outpost
Science Power projection Loss of Strength Gradient
Law Court-martial Justice Perfidy Martial law War crime
Theory Air supremacy Full-spectrum dominance Overmatch

Historically, cavalry have been soldiers who fought while riding horses. In modern times, "cavalry" means the branch of the military that fight in armored vehicles such as tanks. They differ from the infantry in that the Infantry fight on foot.

Soldiers have fought on horses ever since people have ridden horses. Before that, they fought in chariots pulled by horses. Because horses are strong, cavalry troops can wear more armor than infantry and carry heavier weapons. Because horses are fast, cavalry can ride into battle more quickly than infantry.

Cavalry Media

• 

  French 4th Hussars at the Battle of Friedland, 1807

• Assyrian Cavalry - photograph of British Museum reliefs by Iglonghurst 09:51, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

• Parthian horseman, now on display at the Palazzo Madama, Turin

• 

  Warrior's departure; an Athenian amphora dated 550–540 BC

• Tombstone of a Roman auxiliary trooper from Cologne, Germany. Second half of the first century AD.

• 

  Reenactor as a Roman auxiliary cavalryman

• This is a vectorization of an illustration from the Chinese encyclopedia Gujin Tushu Jicheng, section "Military Administration".*Please consider vectorizing this picture manually and upload to

• Imperial Encyclopaedia - Military Administration -
• Emperor Taizongs horses by Yan Liben.jpg

  A bas-relief of a soldier and horse with saddle and stirrups, from the tomb of Chinese Emperor Taizong of Tang (r. 626–649), c. 650

• 

  A mounted samurai with bow and arrows, wearing a horned helmet. c. 1878