Rarely did this happen, mainly because there is a need for infantry to maintain unit cohesion for ease of command and attack. However there are exceptions. During the final years of the First French Republic, Napoleon adopted a new unit for French battalions to incorporate, the voltigeur. The voltigeur or vaulter, was meant to do exactly this, jumping onto the rump of a horse and having cavalry trot them to the front for light skirmishing. Supposed it even was used in Spain but to not very good effect, however it is very rare that this happened since the coordination between cavalry units and the infantry would have made it difficult and the need for companies to stay with their battalion during the era.