As commandant of the cavalry school Alexis-Francois L'Hotte (1825-1904) was obliged to use the methods of the Comte d'Aure, but with his own horses practised the teachings of Baucher. He became one of France's greatest riders.

This well-researched book offers a look at the life of the great French general, Alexis-Francois L'Hotte and includes Hilda Nelson's complete translation of his much-quoted Questions Equestres, here entitled Equestrian Questions. Alexis-François L'Hotte (1825-1904) was sent to the Ecole de Cavalerie at Saumur to pursue his equestrian talent. He became the pupil of both François Baucher and comte d'Aure. He returned to Saint-Cyr as commandant of the reopened cavalry section. In 1864 he became écuyer en chef of the Ecole de Cavalerie. In 1875 he returned to Saumur as commandant of the Ecole de Cavalerie there. He was considered by all to be the most outstanding écuyer of the period. It was on his personal horses that L'Hotte practiced the teachings of Baucher. But as écuyer en chef and commandant at Saumur, he was obliged to follow the teachings and rules of a military establishment. In this respect he was more in the d' Auriste idiom, practicing primarily exterior and military equitation. It was his quest to produce answers to the equestrian challenges that he faced that prompted his writing of Questions équestres where he provides complete, precise, and definitive answers.

Horses and horsemen played central roles in modern European warfare from the Renaissance to the Great War of 1914-1918, not only determining victory in battle, but also affecting the rise and fall of kingdoms and nations. When Shakespeare's Richard III cried, "A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!" he attested to the importance of the warhorse in history and embedded the image of the warhorse in the cultural memory of the West. In Riding to Arms: A History of Horsemanship and Mounted Warfare, Charles Caramello examines the evolution of horsemanship—the training of horses and riders—and its relationship to the evolution of mounted warfare over four centuries. He explains how theories of horsemanship, navigating between art and utility, eventually settled on formal manège equitation merged with outdoor hunting equitation as the ideal combination for modern cavalry. He also addresses how the evolution of firepower and the advent of mechanized warfare eventually led to the end of horse cavalry. Riding to Arms tracks the history of horsemanship and cavalry through scores of primary texts ranging from Federico Grisone's Rules of Riding (1550) to Lt.-Colonel E.G. French's Good-Bye to Boot and Saddle (1951). It offers not only a history of horsemen, horse soldiers, and horses, but also a survey of the seminal texts that shaped that history.

"Like the classic deadly sins, the seven deadly sins of dressage presented in this innovative guide-ignorance, timidity, pride, fear, gluttony, impatience, and sloth-wreak havoc on both rider and equine development and training. Calling attention to common mistakes and offering new strategies for avoiding age-old pitfalls, this manual addresses the philosophical issues of incorrect dressage training by examining each vice in depth. Using a touch of humor and sound advice, this guide comes complete with practical exercises, enlightening photographs, and useful information for becoming a better rider and person"--

"90-minute DVD, all 40 fundamentals fully demonstrated with narration by the author"--Sticker on dust jacket.