A New System of Horsemanship

Claude Bourgelat's 1754 treatise revolutionized equestrian practice by codifying riding into a rigorous, systematic discipline. As founder of France's first official cavalry academy, Bourgelat drew on decades of practical experience to create a methodology that transformed horsemanship from informal craft into taught science. This is the foundation upon which classical dressage was built. The work opens with what Bourgelat calls "the Horseman's Seat", the critical importance of the rider's posture and balance as the starting point of all effective horsemanship. From this foundation, he proceeds through the mechanics of aids, the psychology of training, and the anatomical understanding necessary for working with horses intelligently. Bourgelat contrasts French, Spanish, and Italian traditions, synthesizing their strengths into a unified approach that values both utility and elegance. For modern equestrians and historians of physical culture, this text offers something rare: direct access to the Enlightenment mind applied to the art of riding. Bourgelat's insistence on understanding the horse's nature, on systematic training, and on the partnership between rider and mount feels strikingly contemporary despite its eighteenth-century origins.