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  A
  NEW SYSTEM
  OF
  HORSEMANSHIP:

  From the French of

  Monsieur Bourgelat.


  BY

  RICHARD BERENGER, Esq;


  _Content, if hence th' Unlearn'd their Wants may view,
  The Learn'd reflect on what before they knew._

  Pope's Essay on Crit.


  _LONDON_:
  Printed by Henry Woodfall,
  For Paul Vaillant in the _Strand_, facing _Southampton-Street_.
  M.DCC.LIV.




THE TRANSLATOR's PREFACE.


_IT is not my Design, in the Task I undertake of giving some
Account of this Work, as well as of the Art which is the Subject of
it, to trace its Origin back into past Times, or to wander in search
of it in the Darkness and Confusion of remote Antiquity. Let it
suffice to say, that though its Beginning, as well as that of other
Arts, was imperfect, yet its Use, and the Entertainment it affords,
have been known and tasted in all Ages. But however distinguish'd it
may be by the Notice of the Great, who have at all Times deign'd to
profess and practise it; it is yet less entitled to our Regard for
these Distinctions, than for the real Advantages we derive from it.
Riding consists of two Parts, the_ useful _and the_ ornamental. _That
the latter of these may be dispensed with, is most readily granted;
but that it behoves every one who puts himself upon a Horse to have
some Knowledge of the first, is most evident.--For who would trust to
the Mercy of an Animal that may prove wild and ungovernable, who knows
himself to be incapable of controuling him, and of acting for his own
Safety? Who would venture alone into a Vessel, that can neither row,
nor manage a Sail, but must trust entirely to the Winds and Tide?
Yet is this the Case with the Generality of Mankind, who are carried
upon the Back of a Horse, and think they_ ride. _The_ Utility _of
this Art consists then in knowing how to guide and direct your Horse
as you please, and in reducing him to Obedience, so as to make him
execute readily what you require of him. Thus far it is to be wish'd
every Person who is conversant with Horses, would endeavour to attain.
The_ ornamental _Part, I have already said, is not so requisite
to be known: It can only be called an Accomplishment, and placed
among the superfluous but refin'd Pleasures of Life. In what Esteem
and Honour however it has constantly been held, abundantly appears
from the Schools and Academies every where erected for teaching its
Elements, as well as from the Number of Books, ancient and modern,
given to the World by eminent and accomplished Persons who have
studied and practis'd it. Among these our illustrious Countryman_,
William Cavendish, _Duke of_ Newcastle, _has the highest Claim to
our Praise and Acknowledgments. It would be needless to describe his
Excellencies; his Character, as a Horseman, is universally known, and
universally admir'd. The Truth and Soundness of his Principles, and
the Extensiveness of his Knowledge, have opened to us an easier, a
shorter, and more certain Way to Perfection in the Art, than was known
before. His Precepts have accordingly been adopted by all succeeding
Professors, and his Writings consider'd as the Oracle of Horsemanship,
notwithstanding a Want of Method and Exactness, which has been objected
to them. To remedy these Imperfections, is the Design of the present
Undertaking, and the Labours of a judicious and experienced Foreigner,
must consummate in the Knowledge of the Art he professes. He has
presented us with a new System of Horsemanship, extracted from the
Rules of that great Master. The Method and Conciseness with which he
has digested the Whole, have made the Copy much less than the Original,
but it is a small well-polished Gem. To speak truth, he has made
the Subject so much his own by the Refinement of his Remarks, the
Justness of his Reasoning, and the Light he has diffused through it,
that it must have the Merit of an Original; at least the Reader will
be divided to whom he shall render most Thanks, whether to him who has
given the Food, or to him who has prepar'd and set it before us with so
much Elegance and Order. This at least is our Author's Praise.----The
Translator has endeavoured to do him as much Justice, in the following
Sheets, as he has done his great Original; sensible of the Danger of
so difficult an Enterprize, but prompted to it in hopes of making
his Merit more known. He translated the Work, that the Treasures it
contains may be gathered by those who are so unfortunate as to want
this Assistance to obtain them. He has been as faithful to his Author,
as the Languages will allow, judging that to be the surest way of doing
him Justice. In some Places however he has used (as all Translators
must) a discretionary Power. Every Art has technical terms, or Words
of its own; these he has preserved in the Translation, the_ English
_affording none adequate to them. He has given no Notes or Comments,
imagining the Original can, and hoping the Translation will, want
none. Of this however his Readers will be the best Judges; he will say
no more of himself, but that he has endeavoured to make the Work as
perfect as he could; and for this Reason will be very ready to own any
Faults that may be pointed out; for, though desirous of Approbation, he
is not vain enough to think, there may not be room for Censure._



TABLE of CHAPTERS.


      I. _Of the Horseman's Seat_                                 page 1

     II. _Of the Hand, and its Effects_                               10

    III. _Of Disobedience in Horses, and the Means to correct it_     19

     IV. _Of the Trot_                                                33

      V. _Of the Stop_                                                43

     VI. _Of teaching a Horse to go backward_                         50

    VII. _Of the uniting or putting a Horse together_                 54

   VIII. _Of the Pillars_                                             60

     IX. _Of Aids and Corrections_                                    64

      X. _Of the Passage_                                             75

     XI. _Of working with the Head and Croupe to the Wall_            79

    XII. _Of Changes of the Hand, large and narrow, and of Voltes
         and Demi-voltes_                                             82

   XIII. _Of the Aids of the Body_                                    92

    XIV. _Of the Gallop_                                              98

     XV. _Of Passades_                                               107

    XVI. _Of Pesades_                                                111

   XVII. _Of the Mezair_                                             115

  XVIII. _Of Curvets_                                                117

    XIX. _Of Croupades and Balotades_                                129

     XX. _Of Caprioles_                                              132

    XXI. _Of the Step and Leap_                                      142




TO

SIDNEY MEDOWS, Esq;

The Following SHEETS,

Eminently due to Him from their Subject,

And not Less so

From the AUTHOR's sincere Regard

TO

His Person and Character,


Are Inscrib'd,


By his Faithful and Obedient Servant,

RICHARD BERENGER.




ERRATA.


Page 36. _for_ Remingue _read_ Ramingue. p. 38. _dele_ and. p. 66.
_for_ in _read_ it. p. 79. _for_ Care _read_ Ease. p. 80. _for_ acting
_read_ aiding. p. 85. _dele_ so. p. 116. _for_ Lines _read_ Times.




  A
  NEW SYSTEM
  OF
  HORSEMANSHIP.




CHAP. I.

_Of the Horseman's Seat._


THE Principles and Rules which have hitherto been given for the
Horseman's Seat, are various, and even opposite, according as they have
been adopted by different Masters, and taught in different Countries;
almost each Master, in particular, and every Nation, having certain
Rules and Notions of their own. Let us see, however, if Art can
discover nothing to us that is certain and invariably true.

THE _Italians_, the _Spaniards_, the _French_, and, in a word, every
Country, where Riding is in repute, adopt each a Posture which is
peculiar to themselves; the Foundation of their general Notions, is, if
I may so say, the same, but yet each Country has prescribed Rules for
the Placing of the Man in the Saddle.

THIS Contrariety of Opinions, which have their Origin more in
Prejudice, than in Truth and Reality, has given rise to many vain
Reasonings and Speculations, each System having its Followers; and,
as if Truth was not always the same and unchangeable, but at liberty
to assume various, and even opposite Appearances; sometimes one
Opinion prevailed, sometimes another dazzled; insomuch, that those who
understand nothing of the Subject, but yet are desirous of informing
themselves, by searching it to the Bottom, have hitherto been lost in
Doubt and Perplexity.

THERE is nevertheless a sure and infallible Method, by the Assistance
of which it would be very easy to overturn all these Systems: But not
to enter into a needless Detail, of the extravagant Notions which the
Seat alone has given rise to, let us trace it from Principles by so
much the more solid, as their Authority will be supported by the most
convincing and self-evident Reasons.

IN order to succeed in an Art where the Mechanism of the Body is
absolutely necessary, and where each Part of the Body has proper
Functions, which are peculiar to it, it is most certain, that all and
every Part of the Body should be in a natural Posture; were they in
an imperfect Situation, they would want that Ease and Freedom which
is inseparable from Grace; and as every Motion which is constrained,
being false in itself, is incapable of Justness; it is clear that the
Part so constrained and forced would throw the whole into Disorder,
because each Part belonging to, and depending upon the whole Body, and
the Body partaking of the Constraint of its Parts, can never feel that
fix'd Point, that just Counterpoise and Equilibre in which alone a fine
and just Execution consists.

IT is not therefore sufficient in giving Directions for the Seat, to
keep altogether to trivial and common Rules which may be followed or
left at pleasure; we ought to weigh and examine them with Skill and
Judgment, in order to know how to apply them properly and suitably
as the Shape and Figure of the Person to whom we undertake to give a
Seat will allow; for many Motions and Attitudes that appear easy and
natural in one Man, in another are awkward and ungraceful; whence all
those Faults and Difficulties which in many Persons have been thought
insuperable; whereas a little more Knowledge, a closer Attention, and a
more serious Examination into the Principles of the Art, would convert
in the same Subject an awkward and displeasing Appearance, into an
easy, natural, and graceful Figure, capable of drawing the Eyes even of
Judges themselves.

INDEED the Objects, to which a Master, anxious for the Advancement
of his Pupil, should attend, are infinite. To little Purpose will
it be to keep the strictest Eye upon all the Parts and Limbs of his
Pupil's Body; in vain will he endeavour to remedy all the Defects and
Faults which are found in the Posture of almost every Scholar in the
Beginning; unless he is intimately acquainted with, and apprized of,
the close Dependance and Connection that there is between the Motions
of each Part of the Body, and all the Rest; a Correspondence caused
by the reciprocal Action of the Muscles which govern and direct them;
unless therefore he is Master of this Secret, and has this Clue to the
Labyrinth, he will never attain the End he proposes, particularly in
his first Lessons, upon which the Success of the rest always depends.

THESE Principles being established, let us reason in consequence of
them; we shall display them with great Force and Clearness.

THE Body of a Man is divided into three Parts, two of which are
moveable, the other immoveable.

THE First of the two moveable Parts is the Trunk or Body, down to the
Waist; the Second is from the Knees to the Feet; so that the remaining
immoveable Part is that between the Waist and the Knees.

THE Parts then which ought to be without Motion, are the Fork or Twist
of the Horseman, and his Thighs: Now, that these Parts may be kept
without Motion, they ought to have a certain Hold and Center, if I may
so say, to rest upon, which no Motion that the Horse can make, can
disturb or loosen; this Point or Center is the Basis of the Hold which
the Horseman has upon his Horse, and is what is called the _Seat_.
Now, if the Seat is nothing else but this Point or Center, it must
follow, that not only the Grace, but the Symmetry and true Proportion
of the whole Attitude depends upon those Parts of the Body that are
immoveable.

LET the Horseman then place himself at once upon his Twist, sitting
exactly in the Middle of the Saddle, let him support this Posture, in
which the Twist alone seems to sustain the Weight of the whole Body, by
moderately leaning upon the Buttocks; let his Thighs be turned inward,
and rest flat upon the Sides of the Saddle, and in order to this, let
the Turn of the Thighs proceed directly from the Hips, and let him
employ no Force or Strength to keep himself in the Saddle, but trust to
the Weight of his Body and Thighs; this is the exact Equilibre; in this
consists the Firmness of the whole Building; a Firmness which young
Beginners are never sensible of at first, but which is to be acquired,
and will always be attained by Exercise and Practice.

I demand but a moderate Stress upon the Buttocks, because a Man that
sits full upon them, can never turn his Thighs flat upon the Saddle;
and the Thighs should always lay flat, because the fleshy Part of the
Thigh being insensible, the Horseman would not otherwise be able to
feel the Motions of his Horse. I insist that the Turn of the Thigh
should be from the Hip, because this Turn can never be natural, but as
it proceeds from the Hollow of the Hip-bone. I insist further, that the
Horseman never avail himself of the Strength or Help of his Thighs;
because, besides that he would then be not only less steady, but the
closer he prest them to the Saddle, the more would he be lifted above
it; and with respect to his Buttocks and Thighs, he ought always to be
in the Middle of the Saddle, and sit down full and close upon it.

HAVING thus firmly placed the immoveable Parts, let us pass on to the
first of the Moveable; which is, as I have already observed, the Body
or Trunk, as far as to the Waist: I comprehend in the Body or Trunk,
the Head, the Shoulders, the Breast, the Arms, the Hands, the Loins,
and the Waist, of the Horseman.

THE Head should be free, firm, and easy, in order to be ready for all
the natural Motions that the Horseman may make, in turning it to one
Side or the other: It should be firm, that is to say strait, without
leaning to the Right or Left, neither advanced, nor thrown back; it
should be easy, because if otherwise, it would occasion a Stiffness,
and that Stiffness affecting the different Parts of the Body,
especially the Back-bone, they would be without Ease, and constrained.

THE Shoulders alone influence by their Motion the Breast, the Reins,
and the Waist.

THE Horseman should present or advance his Breast; by this his whole
Figure opens and displays itself: He should have a small Hollow in his
Loins, and should push his Waist forward to the Pommel of the Saddle,
because this Position corresponds and unites him to all the Motions
of the Horse. Now, only throwing the Shoulders back produces all these
Effects, and gives them exactly in the Degree that is requisite;
whereas, if we were to look for the particular Position of each Part
separately, and by itself, without examining the Connection that there
is between the Motions of one Part with those of another, there would
be such a Bending in the Loins, that the Horseman would be, if I may
so say, _hollow-back'd_; and as from that he would force his Breast
forward, and his Waist towards the Pommel of the Saddle, he would be
flung back, and must sit upon the Rump of the Horse.

THE Arms should be bent at the Elbows, and the Elbows should rest
equally upon the Hips; if the Arms were strait, the Consequence would
be, that the Hands would be infinitely too low, or at much too great a
Distance from the Body; and if the Elbows were not kept steady, they
would of consequence give an Uncertainty and Fickleness to the Hand,
sufficient to ruin it for ever.

IT is true, that the Bridle-hand is that which absolutely ought to be
steady and immoveable, and one might conclude from hence, that the
Left-elbow only ought to rest upon the Hip, but Grace consists in the
exact Proportion and Symmetry of all the Parts of the Body, and to
have the Arm on one Side raised and advanced, and that of the other
kept down and close to the Body, would present but an awkward and
disagreeable Appearance.

IT is this which determines the Situation of the Hand, which holds
the Switch. The Left-hand being of an equal Height with the Elbow, so
that the Knuckle of the Little-finger, and the Tip of the Elbow, be
both in a Line; this Hand then being rounded neither too much nor too
little, but just so that the Wrist may direct all its Motions; place
your Right-hand, or the Switch-hand, lower and more forward than the
Bridle-hand; it should be lower than the other Hand, because if it
was upon a Level with it, it would restrain or obstruct its Motions;
and were it to be higher, as it cannot take so great a Compass as the
Bridle-hand, which must always be kept over against the Horseman's
Body, it is absolutely necessary to keep the Proportion of the Elbows,
that it should be lower than the other.

THE Legs and Feet make up the second Division, of what I call the
moveable Parts of the Body.

THE Legs serve for two Purposes; they may be used as Aids, or
Corrections, to the Animal. They should then be kept near the Sides of
the Horse, and in a Line with the Man's Body; for being near the Part
of the Horse's Body where his Feeling is most delicate, they are ready
to do their Office in the Instant they are wanted. Moreover, as they
are an Appendix of the Thighs, if the Thigh is upon its Flat in the
Saddle, they will, by a necessary Consequence, be turned just as they
ought, and will infallibly give the same Turn to the Feet; because the
Feet depend upon them, as they depend upon the Thighs.

THE Toe should be held a little higher than the Heel, for the lower
the Toe is, the nearer the Heel will be to the Sides of the Horse, and
must be in danger of touching his Flank. Many Persons, notwithstanding,
when they raise their Toe, bend and twist their Ankle, as if they were
lame in that Part. The Reason of this is very plain; it is because they
make use of the Muscles in their Legs and Thighs; whereas, they should
employ only the Joint of the Foot for this Purpose; a Joint, given by
Nature to facilitate all the Motions of the Foot, and to enable it to
turn to the Right or Left, upwards or downwards.

SUCH is, in short, the mechanical Disposition of all the Parts of the
Horseman's Body. I will enlarge no further upon a Subject treated on
already so amply by every Writer; as it is needless to write what has
been already handled. I have had no other Design in this Chapter,
than to give an Idea of the Correspondence that there is between all
the Parts of the Body, because it is only by a just Knowledge of this
mutual Relation of all the different Parts, that we can be enabled to
prescribe Rules for giving that true and natural Seat, which is not
only the Principle of Justness, but likewise the Foundation of all
Grace in the Horseman.




CHAP. II.

_Of the Hand, and its Effects._


THE Knowledge of the different Characters, and the different Nature
of Horses, together with the Vices, and Imperfections, as well as the
exact and just Proportions of the Parts of a Horse's Body, is the
Foundation upon which is built the Theory of our Art; but this Theory
will be unnecessary and even useless, it we are not able likewise to
carry it into Execution.

THIS depends chiefly upon the Goodness and Quickness of Feeling in the
Hand, a Delicacy which Nature alone can give, and which she does not
always bestow. The first Sensation of the Hand consists in a greater or
less Degree of Fineness in the Touch or Feeling; all of us are equally
furnished with Nerves, from which we have the Sense of Feeling, but
as this Sense is much more subtle and quick in some Persons than in
others, it is impossible to give a precise Definition of the exact
Degree of Feeling in the Hand, which ought to communicate and answer to
the same Degree of Feeling in the Horse's Mouth; because there is as
much difference in the Degrees of Feeling in Men, as there is in the
Mouths of Horses.

I SUPPOSE then a Man, who is not only capable to judge of the Qualities
of a Horse's Mouth from a Knowledge of the Theory, but who has likewise
by Nature that Fineness of Touch, which helps to form a good Hand; let
us see then what the Rules are that we must follow, in order to make it
perfect, and by which we must direct all its Operations.

A HORSE can move four different Ways, he can advance, go back, turn
to the Right, and to the Left; but he can never make these different
Motions, unless the Hand of the Rider permits him by making four
other Motions which answer to them: So that there are five different
Positions for the Hand.

THE first is that general Position, from which proceed, and indeed
ought to proceed, the other four.

HOLD your Hand three Fingers breadth from your Body, as high as your
Elbow, in such a Manner that the Joint of your Little-finger be upon a
right Line with the Tip of the Elbow; let your Wrist be sufficiently
rounded, so that your Knuckles may be kept directly above the Neck
of your Horse; let your Nails be exactly opposite your Body, the
Little-finger nearer to it than the others, your Thumb quite flat upon
the Reins, which you must separate, by putting your Little-finger
between them, the right Rein lying upon it; this is the first and
general Position.

DOES your Horse go forward, or rather would you have him go forward?
Yield to him your Hand, and for that Purpose turn your Nails downwards,
in such a Manner as to bring your Thumb near your Body, remove your
Little-finger from it, and bring it into the Place where your Knuckles
were in the first Position, keeping your Nails directly above your
Horse's Neck; this is the second.

WOULD you make your Horse go backwards? quit the first Position, let
your Wrist be quite round, let your Thumb be in the Place of the
Little-finger in the second Position, and the Little-finger in that of
the Thumb, turn your Nails quite upwards, and towards your Face, and
your Knuckles will be towards your Horse's Neck; this is the third.

WOULD you turn your Horse to the Right, leave the first Position,
carry your Nails to the Right, turning your Hand upside down, in
such a manner, that your Thumb be carried out to the Left, and the
Little-finger brought in to the Right; this is the fourth Position.

LASTLY, Would you turn to the Left, quit again the first Position,
carry the Back of your Hand a little to the Left, so that the Knuckles
come under a little, but that your Thumb incline to the Right, and the
Little-finger to the Left; this makes the fifth.

THESE different Positions however alone are not sufficient; we must be
able to pass from one to another with Readiness and Order.----Three