Based in Salisbury (now Harare) it patrolled Rhodesia's borders during the Rhodesian Bush War,[1] and then became a regiment of the Special Forces of Zimbabwe in June 1980.

However, it also included some black Rhodesians who had previously worked with horses and members of the Shangaan ethnic group who were expert trackers.

[4] The unit's main role was to patrol Rhodesia's borders with Zambia and Mozambique to detect insurgents who were entering the country.

[3] The Grey's Scouts occasionally took part in attacks made by the Rhodesian Security Forces in neighbouring countries.

[7] A photo depicting a member of the Grey's Scouts about to use a noose to drag a prisoner behind his horse was among those that won J. Ross Baughman the 1978 Pulitzer Prize in Feature Photography.

The Rhodesian Government claimed that most of these incidents had not occurred and Major Mike Williams, the second in command of the Grey's Scouts at the time, has alleged that Baughman encouraged violence and staged some of the photos.

[12] The former Grey's Scout Bruce Moore-King, who was part of the patrol Baughman joined, has stated that he often tortured children while serving in the unit to compel village leaders to provide intelligence on insurgents.

[21] It drew on soldiers from other infantry regiments of the Rhodesian Army, who were then instructed in equestrianism as well as men with no horse experience.

Specialist craftsmen such as farriers, smiths and manufacturers also formed part of the unit, and allowed it to be largely self-sufficient.