As an officer in the household cavalry, will I be able to ride?

Hi there,

Thanks for your question.

This all depends on what is going on in the World and what commitments the units have been given. As a general rule your time will be split between combat and ceremonial duties.

In combat, Officers in the Household Cavalry lead four-strong units of Scimitar armoured vehicles. They scout ahead of the front line, gathering information and carrying out fast attacks. They will also spend time stationed with the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in central London, carrying out public duties and performing at high-profile events. Wherever you are, you'll be leading a team of highly-trained soldiers and helping them maintain the highest standards in everything they do.

In the Army most Regiments and Corps will give you the opportunity to either learn, or continue to ride. A number of regiments also have a hunt and a polo team so it is worth doing your research before you make the decision of which Regiment is best for you.

If you specifically interested in the ceremonial side of things you could also consider joining the Royal Artillery; The Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery is Her Majesty’s Mounted Ceremonial Battery. Roles include the firing of Royal Salutes to mark the grand occasions of State, including The Queen’s Birthday Parade, Royal Birthdays and Births.

I would suggest it is important to ensure the combat role of whichever Regiment you choose also appeals to you as you will spend just as much time doing that as the ceremonial parts.

Try contacting your local recruiting officer and going on some visits to the regiments to find which suits you best.

Good luck with your search.

Katie

Thanks for the response. I have heard that your first two years are spent purely on ceremonial, and then after you move to Windsor for the armoured division. However, I also heard that officers don't do ceremonial work for a while. Whats the truth here? If I were on a three year short service commission, would I spend 2 years ceremonial and 1 year armoured or vice-versa?

I’m afraid you won’t know for certain what the tour rotation will be, or for how long until you get selected by the Regiment. Soldiers generally train and then serve as ceremonial soldiers first for 18-24 months before heading to a combat role, but it is not the same for Officers.

For Officers it will depend on a number of factors: what commitments have been given to the units; how many spaces each Regiment has for Officers; if other Officers are leaving early etc.

A Short Service Commission will take you to 12 years of service, although you are able to leave after 3 if you so wish.

Thanks for the help. So to confirm there's no way I can specify that I would like to selected for the HCMR after commissioning? Also in terms of finding out about hunt/polo teams etc, where is the best place to source this sort of information?

It may be possible to request the you start at the HCMR as you enter the final stages of the recruiting process at Sandhurst but it certainly wouldn’t be guaranteed. It is important that you’d be willing to do both the ceremonial and combat roles of the Regiment.

As for finding out which Regiments have hunts and polo teams etc. It’s probably worth deciding which roles you’d be interested in doing in the Army first and then narrowing it down by the additional clubs they offer. I would never recommend that anyone choose their cap badge based on these things as it will not be what you spend the majority of your time doing.