Cavalry Day in Thailand Date in the current year: January 4, 2024

The history of Thai cavalry dates back to the Ayutthaya Kingdom that existed in the territory of Siam between 1350 and 1767. In 1547, it came under a Burmese attack for the first time. The rulers of Burma didn’t rest until the conquest of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya was complete. In April 1767, the city of Ayutthaya fell, and the king was killed. However, the Burmese couldn’t quite control the territory because they were weakened by a simultaneous war with China.

General Taksin, former governor of Tak Province, set out to defeat the Burmese and reunify the country. Initially, he only controlled about one sixth of the country, but his army was rapidly increasing in numbers and seizing more and more land from the Burmese. In just a few months, Taksin reunified the country and was crowned as King Taksin of the Thonburi Kingdom.

Cavalry played an important role in Taksin’s military victories; there are a lot of monuments that portray Taksin on horseback, leading his troops into battle. Starting from the 17th century, cavalry troops accounted for about 10% of a typical regiment in the Thai army. Most cavalry soldiers were recruited in hereditary villages.

In 1852, King Mongkut initiated a military reform to create a European trained military force that would protect the country from western colonization attempts. Naturally, the new Siamese armed forces included cavalry. In the present-day Royal Thai Army, there are three cavalry divisions: the 1st Cavalry Division is based in Phetchabun Province (Third Army Area), the 2nd in Bangkok (First Army Area), and the 3rd in Khon Kaen Province (Second Army Area).

Of course, today cavalry doesn’t play such an important role as it used to, but many armies, including the Royal Thai Army, include cavalry divisions for ceremonial and some other purposes. Cavalry divisions of the Royal Thai Army participate in military parades and other ceremonial events; in addition, cavalry is part of the royal guard. Cavalry Day is celebrated on January 4 to emphasize the contribution of cavalry to the glorious military victories of the past.