been doin a little thinkin and asking around about this subject. here are a few things i have learned. the cavalry preferred thoroughbreds and thoroughbred/morgan type horses which are predominantly dark colored. however, i have heard that Custer assigned horses to different companies by color. and, he had a grey horse company. they fought at the battle of little big horn. it is said that when interveiwed years after the battle, the indians could accurately remember the details of the fight by the location of the different colored horses on the battlefeild.
it appears that the the French cavalry of the 1800's employed the same tactics
"During peacetime the regiments of light and line cavalry had color of horses according to squadron :
- - - - - I Squadron: 1st 'elite' company rode on blacks, 5th company on browns andd blacks
- - - - - II Squadron: 2nd company rode on bays, 6th company on bays
- - - - - III Squadron: 3rd company on chestnuts, 7th company on chestnuts
- - - - - IV Squadron: 4th and 8th company on grays and whites
However already in 1805 only some colonels insisted on keeping up these peacetime practices. The heavy cavalry rode on black horses. (Prussian king Frederick the Great insisted that the black horses should go to the cuirassiers. He considered the black of the coat as a sign of quality.)
The most numerous and the most available were the light bays and chestnuts.
In 1814 the Russian Lifeguard Uhlans were mounted on dark bays (I Squadron), light bays (II Squadron), chestnuts (III Squadron), and blacks (IV Squadron). The prestigous Chevaliers Garde made of Russian aristocracy rode on large horses: bays (I Squadron), chestnuts (II Squadron), grays (III Squadron), and blacks (IV Squadron).
The British 2nd Dragoons - "Scots Grays" rode on large grays, while many of the noble Household Cavalry rode on large blacks."
