A pre-2007 stable belt of the Royal Air Force. Newer versions feature a metal decorative buckle.

A stable belt is a striped coloured belt worn at times by the armed forces of the United Kingdom, other Commonwealth countries, and a few other countries including Denmark, Brazil and Lebanon. The stripes vary by regiment and corps, identifying the wearer's unit. In Brazil and Lebanon they are known as gymnastic belts.

The term "stable belt" originates from when UK cavalrymen would place the surcingle around the waist when cleaning the stables and tending to their horses.^[1] In the 1950s they spread to all branches of the armed forces, adding a splash of colour and individuality to the drab khaki working uniforms. Initially they were resisted by many senior officers, who saw them as too individualistic, but they soon became accepted throughout the UK forces, and spread to the forces of a number of other countries. The "gymnastic belt" of some countries has a similar appearance and purpose, with a name reflecting its origin in physical training equipment. Sword belts of similar appearance are used on ceremonial occasions by some military forces.^[2][3]

Australia

The Australian Army adopted the stable belt in the late 1970s. It was removed from service in 1995,^[4] but reintroduced in 2017.^[5]

Brazil

Firefighters Corps of Paraná - 1923.

Brazilian Firefighters Cadets - 2009.

In Brazil, the gymnastic belt (Portuguese: cinto ginástico) is one of the most traditional elements of the uniforms of the Military Firefighters Corps. It has been used with few modifications since 1887.^[6] Made of cotton and leather, earlier examples were reinforced to serve as climbing harnesses. Modern gymnastic belts are of lighter construction and only worn as ceremonial item. There are two versions of the gymnastics belt:

For Officers:

The belt is red with a horizontal stripe in blue, with silver-coloured metal buckles. In the 1960s, the leather components were white.

For other ranks (sergeants, corporals, and privates):

The belt is red, with gold-coloured metal buckles.

Denmark

The Danish Army, Home Guard, and Air Force all use stable belts. The Danish Defence's close co-operation with the British Army of the Rhine in the 1950s created the interest in a similar belt for the Guard Hussar Regiment, which was introduced in 1968.^[7] In the late 1970s it was decided to allow stable belts for all regiments in Denmark. The design of the belt would be based on the colours of the regiment, and a colour to signify their role. To show the transition between role and regiment colours, a thin line was introduced, there is however no system with these.^[8][9]

• Red: Combat troops
• Blue: Signal troops
• Gray: HMAK

The Danish armed forces have had a total of 43 different stable belts, of which about sixteen remain in use. Only the standard black stable belt is issued, other belts have to be purchased individually, so are neither regulation nor compulsory.^[10]

Lebanon

Lebanese firefighters (الدفاع المدني, i.e. "Civil Defense") use the same type of gymnastic belt as used by firefighters in Brazil.

New Zealand

The various Corps and Regiments of the New Zealand Army wear stable belts. Most corps wear the same patterns of belt as their counterparts in the British Army^[11][12]

United Kingdom

Royal Observer Corps (Circa1995).

Royal Navy officer wearing a blue stable belt, 2020

A stable belt is a wide webbing belt, usually a single solid colour or horizontally striped in two or more different colours. It is worn around the waist and when worn with PCS it is worn through the trouser belt loops. In the British Army and Royal Marines, when worn with barrack dress, the belt is placed either through the belt loops of trousers or a skirt, or over a jersey. In the Royal Air Force (RAF), it is worn with service working dress (No. 2 dress) either covering the top of the trousers (or skirt) and the lower part of the shirt, or through the belt loops if they can accommodate the belt's width. Unlike the Army's, the RAF belt is never worn over a jersey. The original cavalry stable belts buckled at the side to avoid chafing the soldier's stomach as he bent down during stable work, and to avoid marking or catching on the horse's harness, but many stable belts are now clipped at the front, sometimes behind a metal belt plate (usually bearing the badge of the regiment), although a few regiments such as the Light Infantry clip their stable belts at the front with the original two leather straps. Many units, however, continue to use the traditional method of securing the belt using two leather straps and metal buckles at the left-hand side.

Today, every regiment and corps of the British Army has its own stable belt, often very colourful. The Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force also have their own. The Royal Navy formerly rarely wore stable belts, unless working in a tri-service environment; they are now issued as a standard piece of uniform with the new Royal Navy uniform RNPCS replacing the old No. 4s. Stable belts are worn with most styles of informal dress, but not with full dress, service dress or mess dress. Stable belts for soldiers are purchased by individual service personnel, not issued, so are theoretically neither regulation nor compulsory, but since most personnel own one they are effectively uniform items in the Army.

These belts are shown in cross section, the stripes actually being horizontal as worn, and are actually considerably wider than shown, although the stripes are shown in correct proportion. Where belts are asymmetric, the left-hand side of the illustration is the uppermost as worn.

Infantry regiments (current)

Foot Guards		Royal Regiment of Scotland		Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment
Duke of Lancaster's Regiment		Royal Regiment of Fusiliers		Royal Anglian Regiment
Yorkshire Regiment		Mercian Regiment		Royal Welsh
Royal Irish Regiment		Parachute Regiment		Royal Gurkha Rifles
The Rifles		Special Air Service		Royal Gibraltar Regiment

Former infantry regiments

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders		Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment		Black Watch
Border Regiment		The Buffs		The Cameronians
				Douglas Tartan
Cheshire Regiment		Devonshire and Dorset Regiment		Devonshire Regiment
Dorset Regiment		Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry		7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles
Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment		Duke of Wellington's Regiment		Durham Light Infantry[41]
1st East Anglian Regiment		2nd East Anglian Regiment		3rd East Anglian Regiment
East Lancashire Regiment		East Surrey Regiment		East Yorkshire Regiment
Essex Regiment		Gloucestershire Regiment		Gordon Highlanders
				Gordon Tartan
Green Howards		The Highlanders		Highland Light Infantry
		Gordon Tartan
2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles		King's Own Royal Border Regiment		King's Own Royal Regiment
King's Own Scottish Borderers		King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry		King's Regiment
Leslie Tartan
King's Regiment (Liverpool)		King's Royal Rifle Corps		King's Shropshire Light Infantry
Lancashire Fusiliers		Lancashire Regiment		The Light Infantry
Loyal Regiment		Manchester Regiment		Middlesex Regiment
Northamptonshire Regiment		North Staffordshire Regiment		Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire		10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles		6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles
Queen's Lancashire Regiment		Queen's Own Buffs		Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Queen's Own Highlanders		Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment		Queen's Regiment
MacKenzie Tartan
Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)		Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment		The Rifle Brigade
Royal Berkshire Regiment		Royal Fusiliers		Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
Royal Green Jackets		Royal Hampshire Regiment		Royal Highland Fusiliers
				MacKenzie Tartan
Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers		Royal Irish Fusiliers		Royal Irish Rangers
Royal Leicestershire Regiment		Royal Lincolnshire Regiment		Royal Norfolk Regiment
Royal Northumberland Fusiliers		Royal Regiment of Wales		Royal Scots
				Hunting Stewart Tartan
Royal Scots Fusiliers		Royal Sussex Regiment		Royal Ulster Rifles
Green Erskine Tartan
Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers		Royal Welch Fusiliers		Seaforth Highlanders
Sherwood Foresters		Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry		Somerset Light Infantry
South Lancashire Regiment		South Staffordshire Regiment		South Wales Borderers
Staffordshire Regiment		Suffolk Regiment		Ulster Defence Regiment
Welch Regiment		West Yorkshire Regiment		Wiltshire Regiment
Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment		Worcestershire Regiment		York and Lancaster Regiment