The new uniform introduced in 1812 was similar for all ranks except that the lace was gold train for officers and yellow worsted lace with a blue central line for other ranks. The artist, Hamilton Smith has shown the collar to have red lace, but this is generally regarded as incorrect. Other artists may have copied from his prints and reproduced the same mistake, like Langendijk’s well known print of the King’s Dragoon Guards fighting at Waterloo. The uniform in this print is for review order, white breeches and black jack boots. The horse is caparisoned with a shabraque embroidered with a crown over a reverse GR cypher and K D G. These details are more easily seen in the monochrome enlargement. There is a rolled cloak in front of the saddle and a red valise behind. The white pouch-belt has a spring clip to attach to the carbine when in use, but here it is fastened to the cloak, and the firing mechanism is covered.
Hamilton Smith produced two states of this print; this is the second state that has the helmet with the horsehair mane, the first, published on 1 Mar 1812, having the Austrian crest with plume on the left side. As the artist was working in the Adjutant-General’s office at the time, and on his own admission used the sealed patterns as reference for his drawings, we may assume that his prints show not so much what was worn, but what Horse Guards intended should be worn. Eventually the design of the helmet was changed, as the Austrian crest was found to be ‘in every way objectionable’. By the time the change had been decided upon, some regiments, in particular the 2nd Dragoon Guards, had already ordered the first pattern helmet from their tradesmen. The helmet with the horsehair tail was authorised on 17 Aug 1812.
