Ah, now I understand. It is the pistols that you are asking about. Well, dragoon pistols were carried in holsters on either side of the front of the saddle. They were often quite cumbersome - see
http://www.militaryheritage.com/pistol14.htm\ They were the weapon of some types of mounted soldiery - aka cavalry. True cavalry are soldiers who fight ON horseback, usually with sabres or lances but dragoons are mostly soldiers who ride to the fight and dismount to fight, depending on whether or not they are light or heavy dragoons. Here in UK the British Army had Dragoon Guards/Carabiniers, who carried short rifles as well as cavalry swords, but not pistols of any kind. My grandfather who was killed in WW1, was in the 6th Dragoon guards (Carabiniers). Dragoon pistols are therefore of the flintlock era, as those you mention were. How they may have come from France is something that will never be known, especially as they have no other description.