Russian Garde a Cheval Chevalier
I have a unit of these guys that I classed as elite Cuirassiers,my thinking being that they were guard units & equipped with breastplates.They never actually fought but they look very impressive on the table.My opponent questioned the classification saying they were hussars,& not elite.Any thoughts on how they should be classed? Thanks

How can they be huzzars if they are wearing breastplates? They sound like cuirassiers to me. If they never fought then they might have very nice strong well fed horses. You could argue that they were elite cuirassiers on superior mounts. However were the horses battle trained? It they didn't like things going bang, they might bolt and take their spleindid riders with them.

Garde de Cheval
Thanks for that-food for thought.I presume(far more dangerous than"assume")that being an imperial guard unit that the horses would have been battle trained & superior mounts.As well as being parade ground soldiers they would have been the monarchs last line of defence against rebellious army units.I think it likely that its ranks would have been filled with at least a smattering of certified gold plated combat heroes-the best way of getting the monarchs attention would have been feats of bravery.I think it likely that they would have had the best equipment because their appearance would have reflected on the monarch.All this is speculative in view of the fact that they were not commited to battle but the logic seems strong .