The regiment's origins lie in the early, lawless, diamond rush days in Kimberley in the 1870s. To bring law and order to the region, which was then known as Griqualand West, the government encouraged the formation of part-time volunteer forces. Among them were the "Kimberley Light Horse" and the "Du Toitspan Hussars", both formed in 1876, which amalgamated in 1877 to form the "Diamond Fields Horse". Volunteers from the DFH served in the 9th Frontier War in 1877, in operations in Griqualand West in 1878, and in the Basutoland Gun War in 1880 and 1881.