Federico Caprilli
Federico Caprilli (born April 7, 1868 in Livorno ; † December 6, 1907 in Pinerolo ) was a captain of the Italian army and instructor at Italian cavalry schools. He is considered to be the pioneer of the so-called light jumping seat in equestrian sport .
Until the end of the 19th century, a seat was common in show jumping where the rider sat leaning back in the saddle and stretched his feet forward in order to be able to support himself well when landing. Even before Caprilli, riders had come up with a leaned, light seat with the rider standing just above the saddle in the stirrups , which allowed them to follow the horse's movement and relieve the horse's back while jumping, but Caprilli first was able to enforce this new seat through his teaching. To prove the superiority of this seat, he set a new high jump record in Turin in 1902 with 2.08 m. Caprilli died in 1907 in a seemingly harmless fall.
Philosophy of his riding style
For Caprilli, the new seat was a means to an end. The purpose was a natural equilibrium for the horse that should not be disturbed by the rider. This should enable rider and horse to move about the terrain with as little effort as possible.
Quotes from Santini: Caprilli Documents , Quadriga Verlag
- Page 34: I believe that we must endeavor to leave a horse as nature has made it without changing its nature or head posture
- Page 35: In my opinion, dressage and camp riding are completely opposites. One excludes the other and destroys it.
Several European and American cavalry based themselves on the Caprilli system.
Caprilli in today's equestrian sport
There is also a competition named after Frederico Caprilli. The caprilli test. This "test" is a mixture of show jumping and dressage, where the rider should act in harmony with his horse. The test is divided into 3 different levels of difficulty. In the 1st degree there are trot poles, which have to be ridden in a light seat, small crosses and basic hoof beat figures such as "Ridden on a circle" or "Switching through the whole track". In the 2nd degree you will find trot bars and the basic hoof beat figures, small steep jumps and advanced dressage tasks. The jumps here are up to 60 cm high. In the 3rd and most difficult degree there are no more trot bars and increased dressage lessons such as backward pointing, which are there to check obedience. Here the jumps have a height between 60 cm and 70 cm.
Web links
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Caprilli, Federico |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian captain |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 7, 1868 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Livorno |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 6, 1907 |
| Place of death | Pinerolo |