Grand Ducal Army Chevalistes Company
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The Grand Ducal Army Chevalistes Company, known in Burgoignesc as the Compagnie des Chevalistes de l'Armée Grand-Ducale and in Gothic as the Chevalistenkompanie der Großherzogliche Armee, is a mounted honour guard, drill, parade and performance exhibition unit of the Grand Ducal Army of the Yonderian Defence Force. The Chevalistes Company is mounted on horseback and its members wear historic hussar uniforms while performing their public duties, in place of the more modern camouflage uniforms which are instead worn while performing more menial duties. Administratively subordinated to the Guard Hussar Division, the Grand Ducal Army Chevalistes Company is de jure subordinated directly to the Grand Duke of Yonderre. The Chevalistes Company consists of some 120 enlisted and non-commisioned officers, 16 officers, a saddler, two veterinarians, three music teachers (brass, wind and percussion), a farrier and a remount service. The Chevalistes Company is garrisoned in Sainte-Catherine Castle and the Grand Ducal War Stables of Collinebourg, with its troops rotating between them.
| Grand Ducal Army Chevalistes Company | |
|---|---|
| Compagnie des Chevalistes de l'Armée Grand-Ducale (Burgoignesc) Chevalistenkompanie der Großherzogliche Armee (Gothic) | |
 Shoulder insignia | |
| Active | 18 February 1777– present |
| Country |  Yonderre |
| Branch |  Grand Ducal Army |
| Type | Hussar |
| Role | Public duties/ceremonial |
| Size | 3 troops |
| Garrison/HQ | Sainte-Catherine Castle Grand Ducal War Stables |
| Nickname(s) | Les Chevalistes |
| Patron | Auguste IV de Somua |
| Motto(s) | Primus inter pares (First among equals) |
| March | Signal march of the Chevalistes |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Major Christian von und zu Hörning-Oberndorf |
| Ceremonial chief | HM the Grand Duke of Yonderre |
The Grand Ducal Army Chevalistes Company came about due to the emergence of the Yonderian circus. As circuses driven by equestrian artistes recruited chiefly from the cavalry of the Grand Ducal Army rose in popularity, the Grand Ducal Army saw an opportunity to increase its own recruitment potential by raising an exhibition unit. With a cadre drawn chiefly from the best riders of the hussar regiments of the Grand Ducal Army, the Chevalistes Company was formed to perform feats of the equestrian arts for audiences around Yonderre in the vein of the early modern Yonderian circus.
At the very beginning of the Second Potato War in 1787, the Grand Ducal Army Chevalistes Company found itself engaged in combat against rebels in Willing where the unit had been performing. Fighting with pistols and sabres, the Chevalistes proved themselves highly capable fighters, performing the role of mounted reconnaissance in support of local garrison forces. Based on their performance in the Second Potato War, the Chevalistes were made the mounted counterpart to the Grand Ducal Life Guard of Foot in 1788, since which part of the Chevalistes Company has been garrisoned in the Grand Ducal War Stables of Collinebourg. The Grand Ducal Army Chevalistes Company inaugurated the Collinebourg Hippodrome in May of 1854.
Today, the Grand Ducal Army Chevalistes Company remains an exhibition unit, performing feats of equestrian arts on horseback both inside Yonderre and abroad. The company is garrisoned in Sainte-Catherine Castle and the Grand Ducal War Stables of Collinebourg, with its three troops rotating between the two. The Chevalistes Company also performs as parade escorts for foreign dignitaries on official visits to Yonderre. The unit continues to draw its troopers from the Grand Ducal Army, meaning all of its members must have completed their basic training and are thus fully qualified soldiers of the Yonderian Defence Force. Recruits to the Chevalistes Company must also prove themselves as capable riders as part of their entry exam.