17th Horse (Poona Horse)

The Poona Horse is an armoured regiment in the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army. Before Indian independence, the regiment was raised as a regular cavalry regiment in the Bombay Army of the East India Company and later became part of the British Indian Army. It was formed from the 3rd Regiment of Bombay Light Cavalry, raised in 1820, and the Poona Auxiliary Horse, raised about 1817–18. The latter unit was absorbed into the regular forces about 1860 and the two regiments later became the 33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry and the 34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse.

These were amalgamated in 1921 into the present regiment, the battle honours of which tell of service in three Afghan wars, in Persia, Abyssinia and China, as well as in the Great War. The regiment has fought with distinction in the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistani wars, with an officer winning India's highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra, in each war.