Antoine de Pluvinel (1552 - 1620)

Antoine de Pluvinel came into the world at Crest, in the Valentinois, in the same year as Malherbes. He not only wrote L’Instruction du Roy en l’Exercice de Monter a Cheval, but was also tutor to King Louis XIII, and is credited with the invention of using two pillars (incorrectly, as La Noue also used them, as did the Greek Eumenes), as well as using shoulder-in to increase suppleness.

Pignatelli

Antoine de Pluvinel was sent to Italy, at the age of ten, to work and study under the direction of Pignatelli until 1571 or 1572, when he was noticed by Mr. Sourdis, the first rider of King Charles IX, to whom the young man was presented. Pluvinel is most well-known for his kind, humane training methods, contrary to Pignatelli, who often used harsh methods to gain obedience from the horse, Pluvinel used praise, careful use of the aids, and softer bits (simple curb bits) to get the horse to work with him. He claimed that the use of the spur or the whip was a confession of failure. Pluvinel introduced a form of equestrian ballet known as a "carousel" in which groups of horses and riders perform intricate patterns to music. In one such instance, over a thousand horses and riders performed together.

Pluvinel was appointed Ecuyer Premier to the brother of the king, the Duke of Anjou, future Henri III. He accompanied the prince to Poland where he took the throne in 1573. A few months later, in 1574, upon the death of Charles IX, when Henri literally escaped from his Polish kingdom, Pluvinel was one of the three French gentlemen who accompanied him from Krakow to Paris. His services were acknowledged, and Pluvinel was heaped with honors. When Henry IV was crowned, in 1589, Pluvinel retained his priviledges as Chamberlain, Deputy Governor to the dauphin Louis, tutor to the Duke of Vendome, governor of the Grosse Tour de Bourges, and so on.

Academie d'Equitation

In 1594, sponsored by the Knight of Sainct-Antoine, his former comrade at the stables in Naples, Pluvinel was authorized to build the Riding Academy he had always dreamed of near the Big Stable Royal, ie on the site of the Place des Pyramides. The Riding Club of France put up a plaque commemorating his work on the spot. At Pluvinel's "Academie d'Equitation", the French nobility was trained not only in horsemanship, but also in all the accomplishments (dancing, fashionable dressing, etc.) It can be said that Pluvinel's influence on the aristocracy lasted from the late XVI century to the XVII century. Richelieu, the future Prime minister of King Louis XIII attended the Academie; so did William, duke of Cavendish.

L’Instruction du Roy en l’Exercice de Monter a Cheval

Pluvinel died Aug. 24, 1620, without having had time to edit his work. A first edition appeared as The Royal Maneige, in 1623,at the behest of designer Crispin de Pas and J.-D. Peyrol, a former valet de chambre of Pluvinel. A second improved version was published by Menou of Charnizay, an old friend of the deceased, in 1625, under the later famous title: The Instruction of the King in the exercise of horseback riding, illustrated by the same splendid drawings of Crispin de Pas. The book has been edited and translated many times.

You can order your own copy now, in the original FRENCH.

Pluvinel's Philosophy

Pluvinel is considered one of the most important proponents of non-violent horse-breaking methods. His practices rest on understanding the character of the horse and motivating the animal's cooperation through patience and praise.

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