Whats the difference between Cavalry and Light Horse or Mounted Rifles?
Cavalry consisted of mounted soldiers who fought from horseback. Mounted Rifles and Light Horse were essentially Mounted Infantry. They used horses for mobility and speed, but would generally dismount for action and advance to fight on foot, one man of each section of four being the designated horse holder for the particular action. At Gallipoli the New Zealand Mounted Rifles and Australian Light Horse served as infantry. Their horses were left in Egypt. Towards the end of the war, a couple of regiments opted to be issued with, and trained in the use of, cavalry swords. These units thus became cavalry in the true sense of the word, trained in shock tactics. Other units opted to remain as mounted infantry, though throughout the course of the war there were many instances when the Light Horse fought exactly as cavalry would do.
