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On reverting to peace-time establishment, the opportunity was taken to get rid of unfit and unwanted men and to transfer many to other units. The Indian Mutiny, however, caused it to be again raised to ten troops. Volunteers from other regiments – among them the 4th, 11th and 13th Hussars, which had also formed part of the Light Brigade – totalled 122 men.

On the 8th of October 1857, the regiment, now of a strength of 20 officers and 483 men and in company with the 8th Hussars, sailed from Cork aboard the S.S.Great Britain. A voyage of 70 days, marred only by the death of a private from heart disease, brought them to Bombay by the 17th/18th of December. 255 men disembarked on the 19th and 227 on the 21st of December.

Their Colonel, Riding Master, Veterinary Surgeon and the Rough-Riders travelled to India by the overland route with the object of procuring horses on the way. By the 26th of December all were at Kirkee, but a long wait for horses meant that the first squadron, under Sir William Gordon, did not leave until the 27th of May 1858.

This squadron had many adventures before being joined by the remainder and is the subject of a separate medal roll. Many of those whose names appear in this have been noticed in photographs to be wearing a clasp (presumably that for Central India) on their Mutiny medal, but nothing can be found to substantiate this claim and only the medal without clasp is the regiment's entitlement.

The second squadron, under Major White, left Kirkee on the 11th of June 1858 and marched to Sholapoore, where it remained for some time.

The third squadron, under Major Learmonth, left Kirkee on the 11th of June 1858 and marched to Sholapoore, where it too remained for some time. The third, under Major Learmonth, leaving on the 11th of September, marched to Mhow and finally the H.Q. and the remaining squadron, leaving behind a small depot at Kirkee, on the 22nd of September. (This leaving behind of a depot could possibly explain why there are a number of men, some of whom returned home earlier, and others who remained during the whole of the regiment's service in India, who did not get the medal.)

The muster rolls for the period July-September 1858 (when most of the moves of the regiment were taking place) show men as being “On Field Service”, “On Detachment at Sholapoor” or no mention in the “Remarks” column of any particular service movement. What is equally confusing, though, is that medals are shown on the medal rolls as being awarded, yet there is no record of the men concerned being engaged in a particular duty which would have entitled them to such.

By the 3rd of December the three squadrons had joined up with that of Captain Gordon and all played their part in the final reduction of Tantia Topee's forces, and with his capture, trial and execution. The Farrier-Major of the time, James Edmunds, is said to have been the hangman.

The 10th of January 1860 saw the regiment on the march to Secunderbad, a "death march" which cost the lives of 38 men from cholera and other diseases. Secunderbad was to be their home for the next five years until on the 16th of December 1864, when, after a foot march of 16 days, they arrived at Sholapore and thence by rail to Poona and Bombay before embarking in the S.S "Agamemnon" on the 21st of January 1865.

During the seven years spent in India it had recruited at various times to a total of 48 officers and 404 men. Its losses, from climatic causes and diseases, through death and invaliding, amounted to 38 officers and 273 men, while 122 were left behind to serve with other regiments in India.

By the 6th of May 1865 they were back in Colchester, Colonel White now being the only officer still remaining who had ridden at Balaclava, although there were still N.C.Os and men who had taken part. By the time the regiment went to the Zulu War in 1879 only two other ranks (by then themselves officers) were left.