Fiaschi - maneggi, posata & repolone via Tomassini

 Salvete Omnes,

a little entry from the archive of the history of horsemanship and some modern research into the history of equitation

Archive World Library contains thousands of old books - eg Trattato dellimbrigliare, maneggiare, et ferrare cavalli: diviso in tre parti, con alcuni discorsi sopra la natura di cavalli, con disegni di briglie, maneggi, & di cavalieri a cavallo, & de ferri d'esso.
which is a very nice copy of the famous equitation treatise by Cesare Fiaschi, a gentleman of Ferrara, Italy (a town where the famous Palio took place), born in 1523 when d'Este princes ruled Ferrara and fought their enemies with fire and artillery mostly,  and where he died after 1570AD, when the arts of horsemanship and their studies took over Italian peninsula and eventually the aristocratic Europe.

Some time in the first half of the XVI century  the  Este's Ferrara saw opening of a riding academy.

Perhaps there messer Cesare Fiaschi became a riding master or ecuyer  of the academy in Ferrara, and 5 years after famous Frederico Grisone's treatise on horsemanship, Cesare published his famous work on horse training in 1556AD.

Modern Italian ecuyer, researcher  author, and RAI journalist, Giovani Batista Tomassini has been researching the art of horsemanship, including the life and works of signore Fiaschi. - note I posted about Giovanni Batista Tomassini's articles and research in the past. 
This is messer Tomassini's work on Fiaschi's life - new and proven information - it is a veritable trove of information about Cesare, his family history, and his trials and tribulations, including a trial for heresy in 1560s.

But I would like to turn your attention to another two articles on Fiaschi and and works by signore Tomassini - Maneggi and Jumps - part 1 & part 2. 

here I will 'quote' one of the most interesting passages from the part 1 - 

worksofchivalry.com site or from Academia

The second part discusses not only Fiaschi, but also Claudio Corte and Grisone, all most famous and influential ecuyers of the era.

and some of the morsico bits form signore Friaschi

Valete

J.G Pforr - Tunisian (Barb) horses

 Salvete Omnes,

and the time has come to look at Johann Georg Pforr's horses of North Africa aka the Barb horses.

The Sportsman's Dictionary said:

in addition to the Barb description, there is this falcon described

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Barb horses  described by Berenger 

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this horse has the famous Morisco curb-bit in his mouth 

we can see the ring bit of this horse Morisco curb-bit, and a moon shaped halzbant

enjoy

Valete

German horses of Friesland & Holstein - J.G. Pforr

 Salvete Omnes,

a cavesson on this stallion

 German horses were considered by many cavalrymen of the XVIII century as the most useful - eg in his famous work, Mes Reveries ,  one of the most skilled commanders of the era Mareshal de Saxe mentioned German horse in his military experience during the Polish campaigning.

a curb-bit and two-rein military bridle, Roman nose profile

Johann Georg Pforr drew just that - two powerful German horse (German as the entire territory of the Holy Roman Empire), one from Friesland and one from Holstein.

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since the English of the era had a very weak cavalry and were oriented in breeding racing horse, a hunter and draft one

.German horses, bred with Spanish, Turkish, Barbs & Neapolitans were used in dressage, eg Cavendish talks about them in his famous equestrian work.

But from the military point of view we have more precise remarks  about thee horse written by general de Warnery - who said, that 
'[...]In a course of 600 paces, a good German horse, in condition, will gt before a Polish, Tatar, or other horse of that description: but if the course is continued  to a greater distance, the latter will regain its ground, leave the other behind, and continue in wind for a much longer time: and should the heavy horse be forced a little beyond his wind, he becomes insensible to the bit and spur, and loses all his activity, which is the reason that cuirassiers are never employed on any other occasion  than a regular battle[..]. 

to be continued .. 

Valete

Jan Mostaert's horses p.II

 Salvete Omnes,

Equestrian details from this portrait

in 2020   I posted some equestrian related works by master Jan Monstaer - here the link to my full posting.

detail from this painting - generalized view of a palfrey or riding horse harness 

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variety of early XVI century harness 

the whole wing of the Triptych 

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in this portrait late Medieval equitation on display 

this painting  unfortunately I have no larger resolution in color  - as the harness details are splendid 

But I found B& W photo at the National Museum in Warsaw - 

splendid mule harness

bridle arrangement

enjoy

Valete

Turkish Horses - J.G. Pforr

 Salvete Omnes,

it seems to me that we have one lazy Friday of the dog days of this summer, save for the attempted assassination of the former POTUS in Pennsylvania last Saturday, a d here we are continuing with the horses of brushes and pencils by Johann Georg Pforr. 
today we will look at the Turkish horse - or the horse of the Ottoman Empire, the multiethnic and multireligious imperial realm, in the second half of the XVIII century in a serious eclipse, both militarily and economically. 

Two horses, of which the grey is saddled with a type of saddle known as jarczak(Jarcak)

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details of the legs and hooves

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Jarczak saddle, with an obergurt (ober-sattelgurt) or ryngort (leather straps with cinch arrangement holding the saddle with a shabraq on horse's back) 

and finally, what our good friend The Sportsman's Dictionary had to say about the Turkish horse circa 1770AD- 

Valete

French horses - J.G. Pforr

 Salvete Omnes,

in his book History and Art of Horsemanship' Richard Berenger, gentleman of the Horses to his Majesty George III of Great Britain, wrote about the French horses (1770s):

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Johann Georg Pforr's French draft horses

Arthur Young, esquire, who traveled in the French realm in 1787-89,  wrote the following about the horses he encountered in the pre-Revolution French lands -

valete

J.G. Pforr - Neapolitan horse

 Salvete Omnes,
continuing with the maestro Pforr's horses and some horse description from the XVIII century, we have come to the Neapolitan horse of the period -

Stallions - dapple grey  and bay

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Neapolitan horses and Italian horses in general were famously desired as noble steeds, splendorous coach horses and knightly chargers during the late Medieval and  early modern periods. With the invention of the courtly riding and dressage they became more of the horses of pomp and for parade etc..

beautiful eye, pointy ears, and clearly visible Roman nose

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noble horse through and through 

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from Sportsman's Dictionary - 

Dabrowski's Polish Legion in Italy during the Napoleonic period had this interesting Neapolitan horse experience in 1790s, turning some of this  infantrymen-by-necessity  into true lancers, but we may tell that story some other time I hope
to be continued 

Valete

J.G. Pforr - Hungarian horse, for war and range

 Salvete Omnes,

from the XVIII century horse stable by Johann Georg Pforr comes the Hungarian Horse -

The Sportsman's Dictionary entry - 1770s

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and a hussar with a cloak and typical hussar tack

Hungarian Hussar and his horse, a detail from a large r painting 

enjoy

valete