Traite de cavalerie - plates - Le Comte Drummond de Melfort

 Salvete Omnes,

 

a short entry but with imagery in mind - XVIII century cavalry and military minds.

 

 Comte Drummond de Melfort (1726-1788), being a French arts of war practitioner and writer, published a book on the Cavalry (Traite de Cavalerie) - available via Archive World Library. 

 I corralled some illustrations from this volume. 

 

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horse studs were the basis for establishment and maintenance good cavalry body in the pre-mechanized world

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having fought under marechal Maurice de Saxe our veteran officer quotes his commander in his introduction. 

He mentions Normandy as the preeminent horse country,  horses of Normandy are fit to be used for hunt (chase), fore the king's court, for the cavalry, for dragoons, as the mounts of officer corps. Next come the horses of Brittany, fit for the cavalry service of any type. The horses from Franche-Comte and Picardie are fit for the service of artillery. 
Next the horses for the light cavalry, according to general Drummond, are bred and come from the provinces of Navarre, l'Auverge, le Morvan and Lorraine Allemande (German Lorraine) and are the best .
Horses needed to forage and feed daily - le comte Drummond addresses this issue as well - two plates on forage

enjoy 

Valete 

Album Amicorum of Jan van der Deck circa 1592 - carriage driving

 Salvete Omnes,

The Bodleian Library has this manuscript of travel, wonders and signatures fashionable in the northern lands, titled Album Amicorum of Jan van der Deck, from circa 1592AD.

 in this beautiful album there are many an interesting image, including one image of a sumptuous carriage driven an 'auriga' - a driver - seated on the edge of this pleasure coach, in what  appears as one specially created seat in this carriage. 

Also, draft horse team i.e., both horses are of the same color, which would be a sought after image the owners of these vehicles desired and wanted to impress the world around.

tbc

Valete

Warhorses - prof. Andrew Ayton on Academia

 Salvete Omnes, 

 

I have been perusing Academia platform for ever it seems, and recently I encountered the published  Ph.D.

thesis by medieval history  scholar prof. Andrew Ayton - The warhorse and military service under Edward III. 

 

Professor Ayton made this work available for reading and/or download and perusul at your own leisure,. 

The link is here.

 

 

Valete