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Skinner?s Horse at Exercise, 1840 (c)
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Skinner?s Horse at Exercise, 1840 (c)
Skinner?s Horse at Exercise, 1840 (c).Oil on canvas by John Reynolds Gwatkin (1807-1877), 1840 (c). Men of the 1st Bengal Irregular Cavalry (Skinner?s Horse) or 4th Bengal Irregular Cavalry (Baddley?s Horse) display mounted combat skills, including tent-pegging. Skinner?s Horse was the first regiment to combine oriental horsemanship with western cavalry drill. It was trained according to a manual of English cavalry manoeuvres, translated into Persian, with Colonel Skinner?s own additions on musketry drill. This manuscript is preserved in the National Army Museum collections. Tent-pegging involves spearing a wooden tent-peg stuck in the ground with a long lance while riding past it at a gallop. This difficult exercise is still practised by the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment of today?s British Army to demonstrate skilled horsemanship. In the background three sowars (privates) display other skills, such as standing upright on the saddle of a galloping horse or mounting one as it gallops by.These amazing feats are recorded by earlier Indian watercolours depicting Skinner?s irregulars at exercise. However they did not impress Isabella Fane, daughter of General Sir Henry Fane, Commander-in-Chief in India, who saw a performance at Hansi, the regimental headquarters, in 1836, and wrote; ?We were all much disappointed, as at Astley?s [the London theatre and circus] we had seen much better?. She was much more fascinated by Skinner?s wife and daughter-in-law, whom she visited in purdah, both of whom were covered in jewels. Skinner died in 1841 and was buried at the church he had built, St James?s, Delhi. His regiment still lives on today in the Army of India as Skinner?s Horse. Date: circa 1840
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Media ID 14395670
© The National Army Museum / Mary Evans Picture Library
1807 1840 1877 Bengal Cavalry Combat Exercise Irregular Mounted Reynolds Skills Skinners
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EDITORS COMMENTS
Skinner's Horse at Exercise, 1840" is an oil painting by John Reynolds Gwatkin that captures the impressive skills of the 1st Bengal Irregular Cavalry, also known as Skinner's Horse or Baddley's Horse. The regiment, which was the first to combine traditional oriental horsemanship with western cavalry drill, is depicted in the painting as men display their mounted combat abilities, including the challenging exercise of tent-pegging. In the image, riders of Skinner's Horse gallop towards a row of wooden tent-pegs, attempting to spear them with long lances as they pass by. This difficult exercise, which is still practiced today by the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment of the British Army, demonstrates the riders' exceptional horsemanship and precision. Three sowars, or privates, are shown in the background, showcasing other impressive feats on horseback, such as standing upright on the saddle of a galloping horse or mounting one as it gallops by. These skills were also recorded in earlier Indian watercolours depicting Skinner's irregulars at exercise. The painting reflects the regiment's unique training, which was based on a manual of English cavalry manoeuvres, translated into Persian, with Colonel Skinner's own additions on musketry drill. Skinner's Horse was renowned for its exceptional horsemanship and played a significant role in the British military presence in India during the 19th century. Despite the impressive display of skills in the painting, Isabella Fane, the daughter of General Sir Henry Fane, Commander-in-Chief in India, was underwhelmed by the performance she witnessed at Hansi, the regimental headquarters, in 1836. Instead, she was more fascinated by Skinner's wife and daughter-in-law, whom she visited in purdah, both of whom were adorned with jewels. Colonel Skinner died in 1841 and was buried at the church he had built, St James's, Delhi. Skinner's Horse still lives on today in the Army of India as Skinner's Horse.
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