By 1800 the British Army had split the dragoon into two patterns: the light dragoon in blue for skirmish and pursuit, and the heavy dragoon in scarlet for the shock charge.
Quick answer. British Light Dragoons (1784 to 1861) wore the dark blue cavalry tunic with facings in regimental colour, Tarleton helmet or shako, light cavalry sabre, and mounted on quicker horses. Heavy Dragoons wore scarlet, long tailed coat, brass helmet with bear fur crest, heavy straight bladed sword, on larger horses. Both carried pistols and a carbine, but the role was different: Light to screen and skirmish, Heavy to break the enemy line.
Birth of the division: 1784
Until 1778, British dragoons were a single pattern: medium cavalry in red, with a straight sword and carbine. The American Revolution forced a change. The light dragoon regiments created from 1759 (15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th) proved more useful than the heavy dragoons in American terrain. In 1784 the system split formally: Light Dragoons on one establishment, Heavy Dragoons on another.
The Light Dragoons took dark blue uniforms from 1784. The Heavy Dragoons kept scarlet. Facings varied regimentally. For a wider look at how cavalry roles developed, see our types of cavalry uniforms piece.
The Light Dragoon uniform
A British Light Dragoon trooper of 1800 wore a dark blue short tailed jacket, single breasted, with 12 pewter buttons, facings in regimental colour on collar and cuff (yellow, buff, red, orange depending on regiment), yellow worsted lace loops. Dark blue overalls with a buff seam stripe. A buff cross belt supported the sabretache (a hanging leather pouch for dispatches) and the sword slings.
The headdress was the Tarleton helmet until 1812: a black leather round helmet with a bear fur crest running fore and aft, a brass front plate, chin scales and a plume. From 1812 the Tarleton was replaced in some regiments by the French pattern shako. See our Napoleonic cavalry comparison for the full continental picture.
The Heavy Dragoon uniform
A British Heavy Dragoon trooper of 1800 wore the long tailed scarlet coat, single breasted with ten pewter buttons, facings in regimental colour on collar, cuff and turnback. Dark blue breeches, worn with heavy jackboots to above the knee. Buff cross belt and waist belt. The sword was the 1796 pattern heavy cavalry sabre, straight bladed, 90 cm long, built for the thrust.
The headdress was the brass helmet with bear fur crest (similar to the Light Dragoon Tarleton but with gilt mounts and heavier construction). Officers wore steel helmets with gilt trim. In 1812 the Household Cavalry regiments (1st and 2nd Life Guards, Royal Horse Guards) added the cuirass. See our British Napoleonic uniforms piece for the full regimental detail.
Horses, saddles and the role
Horse size differentiated the two forces. Light Dragoons rode horses of 15.0 to 15.2 hands, selected for stamina and speed. Heavy Dragoons rode horses of 15.3 to 16.2 hands, selected for strength and reach. The Household Cavalry rode blacks of 16.1 to 16.3 hands.
The saddles were different in weight: Light Dragoon saddles ran 11 kg complete, Heavy Dragoon saddles 15 kg. Horse furniture (shabraque, holsters, bridle, headstall) added another 4 to 6 kg. Full field weight on a cavalry horse was 125 to 150 kg including the rider. For the equipment detail, see our cavalry equipment and accoutrements piece.
At Waterloo and after
At Waterloo on 18 June 1815, both patterns fought. The Union Brigade (1st Royal Dragoons, 2nd Royal Scots Greys, 6th Inniskilling Dragoons) made the famous Heavy Brigade charge against D'Erlon's corps, breaking three French divisions. The Light Brigade of the day (7th and 15th Hussars, 11th, 12th, 13th and 16th Light Dragoons) screened and pursued.
The success at Waterloo preserved the two system for decades. The Light Dragoons were formally abolished in 1861, with their regiments reorganised as Hussars (eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, fifteenth, eighteenth, nineteenth). The Heavy Dragoons continued as Dragoon Guards until the 1922 amalgamations. See our charge of the Light Brigade piece for the Crimean War successor.
The modern survival
Today the Light Dragoons name survives in the Light Dragoons regiment of the British Army, formed in 1992 from the 13th/18th Royal Hussars and the 15th/19th King's Royal Hussars. They are a reconnaissance regiment, armed with light vehicles rather than horses, but the lineage runs back to 1759.
The Heavy Dragoons survive in the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, which combines the 1st and 2nd Life Guards (as the Life Guards) with the Royal Horse Guards and the Blues and Royals. They remain the only British cavalry mounted on horses for ceremonial purposes. For the full ceremonial context, see our modern ceremonial cavalry units piece.
Common questions
What is the difference between Light and Heavy Dragoons?
Light Dragoons wore blue, carried curved sabres, rode faster horses and screened/skirmished. Heavy Dragoons wore scarlet, carried straight swords, rode larger horses and charged to break the enemy line.
When were the Light Dragoons formed?
The first British Light Dragoon regiments were raised in 1759 (15th Light Dragoons). The formal Light vs Heavy division dates from 1784 after the American War.
What is a Tarleton helmet?
The black leather round helmet with bear fur crest running fore and aft, worn by British Light Dragoons from 1784 to about 1812. Named after Colonel Banastre Tarleton who popularised it in America.
Did Heavy Dragoons wear cuirasses?
Only the Household Cavalry regiments from 1821. Line Heavy Dragoons did not. The French and most continental Heavy Cavalry wore cuirasses throughout the Napoleonic era.
What happened to Light Dragoons after 1861?
Converted to Hussars with new numbering. The 7th, 10th, 11th, 15th, 16th, 18th and 19th became Hussar regiments. The name was revived in 1992 for a modern reconnaissance regiment.