Drum horse, ridden by Private Austen, 17th (Duke of Cambridge’s Own) Lancers, 1895 (c)

Photographic print by W Gregory and Co, London, 1895 (c)

A cavalry drum horse had to be over 16 hands high, strong and fit. They were the biggest horses in the Army and carried two kettledrums, one on either side of their backs. This horse was believed to have been of Hanoverian descent and was taken over from the 11th Hussars in 1890, when the Regiment returned from India.

One of 52 photographs taken by W Gregory and Co, British Army, 1895 (c).