A paint with a royal rider - Valdemar Christian and Potop 1656

 Salvete Omnes,

back in the XVII century, during the infamous Deluge - 1655-60- or the Swedish invasion and mayhem in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
And from this period comes another splendid paint horse with a rider who was a son of a king, Valdemar Christian of Schleswig-Holstein.

Our prince in question was a cavalry commander within the Swedish royal army during the 1655 invasion, he commanded a regiment of reiters he had completed enrolling in Bremen,  at that time was a territory taxed and aligned with the Swedish realm.

Polish soldier, poet and chronicler Wespazjan Kochowski wrote that this Swedish mercenary and Danish prince was wounded at the battle of Golab in February 1656 and died in Lublin, around the time when the Polish-Lithuanian forces took the city from the Swedish occupiers in April 1656.

Some interesting elements of this horse tack

very ornate saddle and tack

the beautiful paint is shod with horseshoes

quite short shanks on this curb-bit, while forelock and mane are just flowing 

enjoy

valete

Luigi I d'Este, Marquis of Montecchio & Scandiano

 Salvete Omnes,

Luigi I d'Este, Marquis of Montecchio and Scandiano  - 1594-1664.
Italian imperial soldier and commander, participant of the 30 Years War and the war of Manuan Succession. 
His monumental portrait, by Nicolas Regnier, astride a powerful paint horse, probably a Neapolitan or Spanish war horse (could be Polish too, his head being small and eyes very large).

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Marquis was portrayed wearing the final version of plate armor, a cuirassier version; most likely this armor was made shot-proof, withstanding pistol shot from close quarters if in the melee or hand to hand combat, and perhaps the cuirass itself was proofed against long distance musket shot. Note his long yellow riding boots.
His horse  was probably trained according to the highest Italian horsemanship standard, perhaps the presence of long-shanked curb-bit with rather  relaxed rein - note the tassel on its end, so the reins are split.

ornate bridle

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ornate breastplate with a tassel

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ornate, wide stirrups ..

there is another portrait of don Luigi while mounted, and I will discuss it too later one. 

Valete

J.G. Pforr - horse bolting? or attacking?

 Salvete Omnes,

a quick entry from the equestrian portfolio of Herr Pforr

splendid stallion 

one of the surviving Johann G. Phorr's paintings * shows a stable scene - 

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hay rack with draft horses? 

a horse collar and water buckets

English saddles?

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finally, Hungarian Hussar-style riding pants on this groom

*oil on oakwood panel 

valete

The Life & Death of Crazy Horse, Oglala on Archive

 Salvete Omnes,

I am writing this post on the eve of the anniversary of Crazy Horse's death, who was a very brave warrior and blotahunka (war leader) of the Oglala Lakota/Sioux. Here are Frank Grouard's recollections about Crazy Horse. Or you can read Frank's biography on Archive.

Crazy Horse, held by Little Big Man, was bayoneted and mortally wounded by the US soldier at Camp (later Fort) Robinson, Nebraska Territory, while in process of being detained and imprisoned by  the government on September 5, 1877. He died there, and his body was taken away for proper burial by his father, Old Man Crazy Horse/Worm.

On Archive - world library - there are books dealing with the life and in particular the tragic death of this Lakota warrior and leader. You can borrow them to read and peruse & study.

for example -
The life and death of Crazy Horse by Russell Freedman.

The surrender and death of Crazy Horse : a source book about a tragic episode in Lakota history - sources compiled by Richard G. Hardorff .

The Killing of Chief Crazy Horse : three eyewitness views - edited by Robert A. Clark.

Touch the Clouds

He-Dog

Valete

Summer is ending with .. Abraham van Calraet horses

 Salvete Omnes,

so our 2023 summer is ending - c'est la vie.
how are your horse things these days - I try going to the stables often, and enjoy the summer-sleek horses prancing in green meadows etc.

ad rem, a quick entry -
 I have been looking at some paintings by Abraham van Calraet -  a Dutch painter living during the Age of Opulence in Low Countries (always like that book by Simon Schama - The Embarrassment of Riches - some more detailed infor on the book here )

So these saddles are quite interesting - 

from the traditional large one -  look at that Paint 

 to a version, in leather most likely   - with nice -:)  grey horses 

to more peculiar saddles , some quite flat almost in the English saddle fashion - starting with this palomino steed 

these spotted horses - 

do enjoy these beautiful horses and their riders etc 

Valete

Splendid horses and aristocratic riders by Anselm van Hulle et al

 Salvete Omnes,

a nice May day -just  started listening to a new novel by C.J. Box - Storm Watch. 

Frederic Henry, prince of Orange

 

so on this nice May day let us enjoy some equestrian portraits showing members of the princes of Orange clan, attributed to Anselm van Hulle.

Amazing bays, one black and a paint horse.

Maurice of Nassau

Philip William , prince of Orange

Frederic Henry, prince of Orange

William II, prince of Orange

William the Silent

in the wiki commons gallery of this painter there are interesting portraits of the important men(and one woman) of this period

Among them two Polish or Hungarian looking costumed gentlemen 

 

 enjoy

Valete