Regiment of Horse is a type of medium cavalry in Empire: Total War.
Description[]
These cavalry are shock troops, intended to charge into melee and deliver terrible blows with their straight swords.
To this end, the horses of these regiments are all large beasts, and trained to bring out a nasty temperament: it is not just their rider who fights in some cases! They use their weight to push enemies back, while slashing to kill and maim.
Historically, many regiments of horse were raised under contract by a colonel, and were regarded as personal property. A colonel could choose his own officers by selling commissions or by appointing his friends and cronies to the posts. He also had a free hand over drill, uniform and horses for "his" regiment, and it was not unknown for unscrupulous men to have a few "ghosts" in the regiment so that their pay could be claimed from the government and kept by the colonel. Given that the regiment was "his" property, it was also not unknown for a colonel to argue with his general if his men were ordered to carry out dangerous, unpleasant or low-status tasks. A colonel had his honour and profits to consider, after all.
General Information[]
Regiments of Horse are available from the start in the game to every Western faction except France. As far as early cavalry go, they're excellent units to have, reliably performing any role on the battlefield (be it traveling great distances to crucial points on the battlefield or pitched fighting), although they aren't quite as good as light and heavy cavalry at their specialized roles. Even in the late game, however, they still retain their usefulness for their flexibility.
Regiments of Horse benefit greatly from upgraded training centers, receiving up to three chevrons of experience depending on the level of upgrades. American regiments of horse benefit from good stamina.