The 7th Madras Native Cavalry was a regular military cavalry battalion of the British Indian Army. The battalion was formed in the year 1800 to serve the British East India Company and was a part of the Madras Army, before start of the Indian Rebellion in 1857. The armed forces of Madras Presidency were one of the 3 most prominent Presidency Armies in British India. The Army of the province Madras (now Chennai) was established with the objective of protecting the commercial interests of the Honourable East India Company. The military forces of the Presidencies of British India were under the administrative control of the British East India Company until the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857.

The authority of the British Presidency Armies was later transferred to the British Empire in India from the British East India Company after the Government of India Act 1858 was authorized. The Presidency Armies, namely the Bengal Army, the Madras Army and the Bombay Army were amalgamated to raise the British Indian Army in the year 1903.

The 7th Madras Native Cavalry was also known as the 7th Madras Light Cavalry. The 1st troop of cavalry unit in Madras Presidency was formed in the year 1748. However regular administration took place after 1784. The seniority of the cavalry regiments varied as per to the age of the Commanding Officer until 1788. Subsequently, the regimental number also changed. By the year 1804, around 8 regiments of the Madras Light Cavalry were raised under the British East India Company. The regiment did not participate in the 1857 rebellion and remained loyal to the British authorities. The unit was re-designated as the 7th Madras Light Cavalry in 1819.

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