The caracole or caracol (from the Spanish caracol - "spiral") consists of a manoeuvre on horseback in dressage and, previously, in military tactics. Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The Horse (Equus caballus) is a sizeable ungulate mammal, one of the seven modern species of the genus Equus. ... The fundamental purpose of dressage (a French term meaning training) is to develop, through standardized progressive training methods, a horses natural athletic ability and willingness to perform, thereby maximizing its potential as a riding horse. ... Military tactics is the collective name for methods of engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. ...

Dressage caracole

In dressage, riders execute a caracole as a single half turn, either to the left or to the right.

Military caracole

The military caracole developed in the mid-16th century in an attempt to integrate gunpowder weapons into cavalry tactics. Equipped with one or two wheellock pistols, cavalrymen would advance on their target at less than a gallop. As each rank came into range, the soldiers would turn away, discharge their pistols at the target, retire to reload, and then repeat the manoeuvre. The tactic was accompanied by the increasing popularity of the German Reiter in Western armies from about 1540. Gunpowder whether black powder or smokeless powder, is a substance which burns very rapidly and is used as a propellant in firearms. ... Italian cavalry officers practice their horsemanship in 1904 outside Rome. ... Wheellock, also referred to as Wheel-Lock, was the next major development in firearms technology after the matchlock. ... A Browning 9 millimetre semiautomatic pistol Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century A pistol or handgun is a usually small firearm that can be used with one hand. ... Horse gaits are the different methods by which a horse, either naturally or through human training, moves itself. ... Reiters (German: Reiter, or horserider) were a type of cavalry, which appeared in mercenary armies of Western Europe in the 16th century along with the cuirassiers and dragoons instead of heavy cavalry. ...

Some historians associate the demise of the caracole with the name of Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (1594-1632). Certainly he regarded the technique as fairly useless, and ordered cavalry under Swedish command not to use the caracole. However, there is evidence that the tactic was already falling out of use by 1620, before Gustavus Adolphus reached Poland and Germany. Gustav II Adolf (also known as Gustaf Adolf den store or Gustavus II Adolpus) (December 9, 1594 – November 6, 1632 O.S.), widely known by the Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus and referred to by Protestants as the Lion of the North, was King of Sweden from 1611 until his death. ...

The caracole as a military tactic ultimately proved ineffective. It sacrificed the cavalry advantages of speed and mobility, while also leaving mounted soldiers at a disadvantage to massed infantry equipped with heavier and longer-ranged weapons. The caracole gave way to close artillery support for cavalry (see Horse artillery ) - breaking up the infantry formations, forcing the soldiers to scatter and allowing cavalry the advantage in close quarters, melee combat. The last recorded use of the caracole was by the French at the Battle of Minden in 1759. Infantry of the 36th Ulster Division, in the First World War Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot, mainly with small arms and operate within organized military units. ... Historically, artillery refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ... Horse Artillery were light, fast moving and fast firing artillery units which provided fire support to the cavalry elements of armies in the 18th and 19th centuries. ... The Battle of Minden was a battle fought on August 1, 1759 during the Seven Years War. ... 1759 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...