The art of riding conteining diuerse necessarie instructions, demonstrations, helps, and corrections apperteining to horssemanship, not herettofore expressed by anie other author: written at large in the Italian toong, by Maister Claudio Corte, a man most excellent in this art. Here brieflie reduced into certeine English discourses to the benefit of gentlemen and others desirous of such knowledge.

CHAP. 17. (Book 17)

How to helpe the horsse with your voice.

THe helps required in hors∣manship * 1.1 are diuers, and may be reduced to nine: as the voice, the rod, the bridle, the calues of your legs, the stirrops, the spurres, the

bodie, the ground, and the water.

As touching the voice, you must vnderstand * 1.2 it maie varie, lowder or softer, as the dooings of the horsse and his disposition altereth. So that, if you should alwaies vse one voice, your horsse could neuer conceiue your meaning, and con∣sequentlie your helpes become vaine. It shall therefore behooue you to vse one voice to a coult at his first handling, an other when he be∣ginneth to go well, another when he stoppeth, another when he gallopeth at leisure, an other in his gallop galliard, an other in his turnes vp∣on the ground, an other when he turneth hie with yarkes or without, an other in his carriera and leaping.

Likewise, whensoeuer you teach him his ordi∣narie pase or order of going, a particular voice ought to be then vsed. You must also be prepa∣red to haue a voice for your horsse, when he is ouer light behind, stubborne or disobedient; and one other, if he doo obedientlie, willinglie, and couragiouslie. All which M. Claudio dooth labour to expresse in his language; yet for that they be in all toongs rather significant sounds than words of expresse meaning, I commit them to the riders discretion: it shall suffice that the horsse thereby may conceiue your meaning,

and be forced to obeie in that you would haue him to doo.

Yet now, that this helpe of the voice may not * 1.3 be vsed mnch, if you ride in presence of the Prince, or other great persons; chieflie when the horsse is redie: for at such times and in such pla∣ces it were vnseemelie to open your mouth, and vtter voices of diuers sounds and meaning. In sted of those voices, you shall imploie certeine secreat helps and motions artificiall. But the most comelie grace on horssebacke (if you ride in so great presence) is not to helpe the horsse at all, otherwise than to accompanie him with your hand and bodie, wherby you shall couert∣lie declare much cunning, without apparant helpes or inforcement.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Helpes in horsse∣manship reduced to nine in number.
• * 1.2

  Of varieng the voice in diuerse respects.
• * 1.3

  A caueat touching the voice, when you ride before a prince, a noble per∣sonage, &c.