These are my first unit of Parliamentarian Reiters. I've given them a classic sandy yellow uniform and partial plate armour. As seen in the photos they are armed primarily with pistols, which they would use to fire blistering, short range volleys at their adversaries.
Unlike the galloping, death or glory Royalist Horse, Parliamentarian cavalry had a bad reputation in the first half of the English Civil War. Only with dedicated new training and tactics did Oliver Cromwell manage to create steady but reliable cavalry - his troopers soon gained the intimidating nickname Ironsides.
The Cavaliers had a tendency towards scattering the enemy in their immediate front and then pursuing their quarry far from the battlefield, stopping only to loot local settlements or the enemy baggage train. So whilst the Royalists boasted cavalry units of superficially high quality, they were only of limited usefulness on the day of battle. What made Cromwell such an effective commander of mounted units was the discipline and organisation of his troopers. They would advance at a more sedate pace, and use multiple pistol volleys to wear down the enemy before a comparatively modest, but nonetheless brutal, charge. However, Cromwell's horse were crucially able to reign themselves in after the adrenaline kick of initial contact, so they remained a decisive battlefield asset. This would enable them to reform and exploit the damage they caused to the vulnerable flanks of their adversaries.
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