National Cavalry

Formed as a merger of previously-existing units of Winged hussars, pancerni and petyhorcy that were still in service after the Confederation of Bar.

Existing dragoon and Front or Vanguard Regiments were outside this reform The National Cavalry had a very short history of 20 years, and some units stationed in the eastern Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were forcibly incorporated into the Russian cavalry following the Second Partition of Poland, and the remainder was disbanded together with the rest of Polish–Lithuanian armed forces after the final partition in 1795.

Initial reorganization divided the National Cavalry of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth into four brigades (each numbering roughly 737 officers and soldiers and horses), two in the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and two in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

The ancient and ineffective companion–retainer system was preserved and the number of companions and retainers was to be equal, companions armed with a painted "kopia" or "kopija" (lance), sabre and pistols, and retainers armed with a cavalry carbine and sabre.

This allowed the unit to be fairly flexible, with the first cug used for break-through charges and the remaining three in supporting roles.

In 1785 the uniforms were modified and all units of national cavalry since then used Navy-blue Polish kurtka with red (later various colors) coloured pannel (pipping) of the Pancerni, red Polish-style loose fit pants (szarawary) with a double-lampas, buttoned with six buttons on the outside below the knee, and crimson Polish (square-top) czapka of the Hussars for the companions and red or black Kolpak for the retainers, changed later into a black "giwer" hat, eight inches tall.

Horses were of Polish breeding (mostly from the country's Podolian and Volhynian studs) of medium stature, crested and with a high neck, strong footed with 'iron hooves,' fast and with much stamina.