The 61st Cavalry Regiment of the Indian Army is one of at least three horsed cavalry regiments left in any present-day army.
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When the British departed the shores of India in 1949, the only horses left in the military stables were with the units of some of the Imperial Service (state Forces) troops in the armies of the Indian Princely States. Finally, on integration of the state forces into the Indian Army in 1951 the states' horsed cavalry units were reorganized and reconstituted into the Gwalior Lancers, Jodhpur/Kachhawa horse, Mysore Lancers, and B Squadron, 2nd Patiala Lancers. During May 1953 Army headquarters further decided to disband all these separate horsed cavalry units and to raise one New Horsed Cavalry Regiment instead, at Gwalior, with the effect from 1st August 1953. Subsequently the date of raising was changed to 1st October 1953. Lt. Col. Phulel Singh of the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces was appointed the first Commandant of the "New Horsed Cavalry Regiment" and he assumed command on 19th November 1953.
The rather uninspired designation of the Regiment was subsequently changed from "New Horsed cavalry" to 61 Cavalry in January 1954. As a result, 61 Cavalry today is one of the few remaining unmechanised mounted cavalry regiments in the world, alongside the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and the 11th Cavalry Regiment of the Moscow Military District.[1]
The regiment recruits Rajputs, Marathas and Kaimkhanis in equal numbers. It was retained in the present form on Prime Minister Jawarharalal Nehru's instructions.
In view of the regiment's unique association with the horse, it is perhaps not all that surprising that it has a proud polo playing tradition. The regiment has produced some of the country's most outstanding and inspired polo players. A measure of the outstanding equestrian and polo skills displayed by the regiment can be gauged by the fact that since its raising its personnel have won the Arjuna award – the country's highest award for outstanding sportsmen – four times for polo and five times for equestrian events.
61st Cavalry at IndiaPolo.com