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Quotes of William Cavendish (1st Duke of Newcastle)
With commentary by Dr. Thomas Ritter
(Previously published as an edition of Classical Quotes)
William Cavendish, the 1st Duke of Newcastle (1592-1676), is one of the most important authors in the history of classical dressage. He supported King Charles I against Cromwell and his supporters in parliament. He was held in high esteem by the Stuarts, James I and above all Charles I (d. 1649), who entrusted him with the education of the Prince of Wales, the future Charles II. Newcastle served his sovereigns loyally, raising at his own expense a corps of volunteer horsemen, close to 10000 pounds, for Charles I who had neither money nor troops. He supported the famous prince Rupert out of his own pocket during the first years of the civil war. After the defeat in the battle of Marston Moor (2 July 1644), cut off from the royal army, he sailed from Scarborough to Rotterdam where he rejoined the Prince of Wales, his former student, and went to Paris (1645), where he married his second wife, a maid of honor of Queen Henrietta of England. He established himself in Antwerpes, where he recovered a part of his fortune and built a manege which quickly became famous. He had bought some excellent Andalusian, Berber, and Syrian stallions. At Antwerpes, he wrote his masterpiece, published in French in 1657 and in London in 1667, after the restauration of Charles II, who permitted him to return to his native country. Newcastle spent a total sum of around a million guineas for the cause of the Stuarts. He was recompensated by Charles II who made him a duke in 1665, governor of the town of Newcastle, and chief justice of the counties north of Trent. He then divided his time between his castles at Welbeck and Bolsover. He taught his two sons and three sons-in-law in haute ecole, and established a hippodrome at Welbeck. He was also a man of literature. He wrote several comedies, translated L'Etourdi by Moliere and sponsored Dryden, Ben Johnson, Hobbes, Descartes, and Gassendi.
He died at Welbeck on Christmas day 1676 and was buried at Westminster.
Newcastle rejected Pluvinel's invention of the pillars, because he thought that too many horses were ruined in them by clumsy trainers. However, he used a single pillar for certain parts of the training. His "head into the volte" is comparable to a leg yield on a circle and paved the way for De la Gueriniere's invention of the shoulder-in. He valued the cavesson greatly and used the drawrein, run through the rings of the cavesson, quite liberally. He also recognized that true collection is impossible without hind legs that pass each other in close proximity. The straightening effects of the counter canter were still unknown to him.
p. 256:
"What Stature or Size of Horses is best and most convenient, either for the Wars, a single Combat, or any Thing else; as also, at what Age it is most proper to begin to work a Horse, either for the Wars or Manege.
"There are great Disputes among Cavaliers about this Business; I shall not therefore trouble you with the Arguments they use Pro and Con upon this Head, but only deliver to you my Opinion about it: Now those who are for high and large Horses say, they are strong for a Shock; but they must know, that all large Horses are not strong; nay, for the most Part they are not only the weakest Horses, but commonly without Spirit and Vigour: But put the Case a great and large Horse were strong, yet being so tall, and so big, his Strength is diffus'd, and indeed out of his Strength, that a middling Horse (Entre deux Selles, as the French say) or a less siz'd Horse having his Strength united, and being a little lower, or as it were beneath him, would certainly overthrow him; so that a middling or less siz'd Horse, is certainly and without doubt the best for the War, or a single Combat.
"Middling and less sized Horses have also for the most Part, both Strength, Spirit, and Agility, and not one in an Hundred but proves well, when of large Horses not one in a Thousand; Nay, the middle sized Horse is the most proper for all Uses: For the Pad, Buck-hunting, Hawking, Running, Galloping upon the high way for many Miles, or Posting, for the Coach, for the Cart, yea for any Thing; and if he falleth a little Horse will do the Rider less hurt to lye upon him than a large and heavy one: However, Gueldings and Guelt Nags are fitter for great Journies, Hunting or Hawking in Summer, than Stoned Horses, because the natural Heat in Stone Horses with the Heat of the Weather, doth soon fire their Feet and Founder them, whereas Geldings are colder, and so travel better, not becoming so soon weary in the Heat of Summer. The great Inconveniency of Geldings is, that they soon disgust and loose their Appetite: But the only way to prevent it, is to make Choice of such as are well Bellied, and then they will keep their Stomachs pretty well, yet never so well as a stone'd Horse.
"As to the Age in which it is most proper to begin to work a Horse either for the Wars or Manege; it is certain that a young Horse of three years Old is but Gristle, and besides, his Understanding, if one may so speak, is not come to him, so that wanting understanding, and being so weak, you must have patience to stay three Years more at least until he hath both; for stopping and going back will strain his Back, stress his Hammes, and consequently spoil him; so that I would rather have a Horse of six, seven, or eight Years Old, so he be sound and not Vitious, ..."
p. 259:
"Now a good Seat is of such Consequence, as you shall see hereafter, that it is One of the chief Things maketh a Horse go perfectly; the very Manner of sitting being almost beyond all other Helps, therefore do not despise it; for I dare boldly say, that he who is not Bel homme a Cheval, or a handsome and graceful Horseman, shall never be Bon homme a Cheval, or a good Horseman."
p. 268:
"The Helps of the Body are to be Gentle for all Horses, because to sit strong on Horseback astonishes a weak Horse, and causes a strong one to go in Counter-times, because it forces him too much; it maketh a furious Horse mad, a resty Horse yet more Resty, and a Horse hard on the Hand to run away; being displeasing to all Sorts of Horses: You are therefore neither to sit too Weak, nor too Strong on Horseback, but betwixt the two, because gentle Helps fit and please all Horses best: And you must also sit straight upon the Twist, and always keep your self as much so as you can, what Action soever the Horse maketh: And to do it with the more Ease, you must oppose his rude and unexpected motions, by Acting quite contrary to what he doth.
"As for Example, if the Horse rise before, then you must incline your Body a little forwards to him: For did your Body go along with the Horse, it would go backwards, and be both very uneasie for you and the Horse. In like manner, if the Horse strike out behind, or raise his Croup, you must put your Body backwards, which is contrary to the Horse's Motion; for did you follow the Horse, you would put your Body forwards, and so be in danger of being thrown. Therefore the best Way, is still to sit straight as much as possible, and then the Action of the Horse will keep you on your Twist."
p.281:
"Another excellent Lesson for suppling a Horse’s Shoulders, and to make him attentive to the Will of the Rider, is this: Trot him, and without stopping him upon his Trot, make him go gently from it to a short and slow Gallop, and from the Gallop to his Trot again, and tho’ he go still upon the same Hand, yet change him from Trot to Gallop, and from Gallop to Trot, until you think it sufficient, and then make him stop either upon his Trot or Gallop as you shall think fit. This is a most excellent Lesson not only to supple his Shoulders, but to make him attend and obey the Will of his Rider: For having no continued Rule to fix his Mind on, and to make him go by Rote either in Trotting or Galloping, he must absolutely obey both the Hand and the Heels: For not knowing when or where he shall be stopt, will make him still to be expecting it, and always attentive to the Motions of the Hand and Heels of the Rider; so that he will be always ready to answer them, and therefore there can hardly be a better Lesson for suppling a Horse’s Shoulders, and preventing his going by Rote than this. For all our Design in Horsemanship, is to make a Horse answer and obey the Hand and Heels, and this Lesson bringeth a Horse a great Length in both, therefore I advise you to esteem it."
p. 283:
"When your Horse obeys you in all these Lessons perfectly, which is to answer your Hand and Heels, stop short, and go easily back, (for going back, is I assure you an Excellent Lesson to put him upon the Haunches, to accomodate and adjust his hind-Feet, and make him light before, that so he may stop easily, and in just Proportion) I say when he can perform all these Lessons perfectly, then teach him to advance upon a Pesate, which is to rise before, see Chapter 29, without which no Horse can be accounted a ready Horse; you may do it after you stop him, because a true and exact Stop should be always finished with a rising before or Pesate, I mean when a Horse is pretty far advanced in the Manege, but not before."
p. 284:
"Make your Horse first to gallop a narrow Circle of one Piste, and when he hath finished that, put him forward upon a large Round or Square, and make another of the same bigness, and so on until he make four little ones, which should all be contained in one large Circle or Square, and after you have made him go over all the four Circles, his Crupper a little out, then make him go over them all again his Crupper in, and upon a short Gallop, and still as he finisheth one small Circle, put him forwards upon the large Circle or Square, to begin another upon the Angle or Corner of it; and thus repeat all four so long as you think fit, which will make him attend the Hand and Heel, and become most obedient to both. Here is also another very good Lesson; make your Horse go sideways, or passage, upon one Hand, then put him forward twice or thrice his own length; afterwards make him go sideways upon the other Hand, and then put him forwards again, and so sideways and forwards from Hand to Hand, which will make him very attentive to the Motion of your Bridle-hand and Heels: But to perform this Lesson exactly, there required a good deal of Bounds, and therefore the open Fields are a great deal more proper for it than a close or covered Manege: These being all most excellent Lessons, I therefore with the more Earnestness recommend them to your practice."
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