Salomon de la Broue

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Salomon de la Broue ( bʀu ; * around 1530 in Sommières-du-Clain, France; † around 1610 ) was a French riding instructor of the 16th century .

De la Broue, along with Antoine de Pluvinel and Chevalier Saint-Antoine, is one of the three important students of Giovanni Pignatelli from the Neapolitan school. Together with Pluvinel, he is considered the founder of the French riding school. He was court stable master of Henry IV of France .

Cover of "Le cavalerice françois"

The work de la Broues "Le cavalerice françois" (title from the second edition 1610) presents in three volumes the knowledge of the best riders in France at the time, which until then was only passed on orally. In it he often refers to the most respected riding master of the Italian center of academic equestrian art, Pignatelli, whose pupil he had been in Naples, and to the “great French riders before my time”.

In addition to the treatise in chapters that build on each other, the work included extensive drawings to explain the riding exercises. As with all good riding masters of the time, the education of the riders to be responsible, thinking, calmly planning "horse people" played a very important role: he repeatedly pointed out that the rider should never act out of anger, but always deliberately; degrading the horse is considered unacceptable. He repeatedly points out that everything negative in working with the horse must be avoided: a fearful, nervous, overtired or overwhelmed horse can never learn the high schools , let alone do it perfectly.

The fact that the “Cavalerice” was never translated into another language was not a big problem at the time: those who could afford a horse exclusively for academic riding at the time spoke French fluently in most cases.

His work influenced many of the great equestrian writers who followed him: François Robichon de la Guérinière wrote: “… among the considerable number of writers there are only two whose works are of real value, and these are: de la Broue and the Duke of Newcastle. De la Broue lived under the reign of Henry the Fourth. His published work is in folio and contains the rules of his teacher Johann Baptist Pignatel, who was a teacher of horsemanship at the Naples Riding School, and whose riding school was so well known that it was regarded as the most distinguished in the world. All of the French and German nobility who wanted to perfect themselves in the art of riding were compelled to take lessons from this famous teacher. The Duke of Newcastle said: de la Broue had brought his teaching to such a high degree of perfection that one must be highly experienced in the art to be able to practice it. Although this praise is a bit critical, it also proves the excellence of this writer. "

William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle , accused de la Broue of having only written down Pignatelli's training methods (“stolen from Signior Pignatell's lessons”). Cavendish, on the other hand, saw Pignatelli as a great master: “But the most famous man that ever was in Italy was at Naples, a Neapolitan, call'd Signior Pignatel; but he never Writ: Monsieur La Broue Rid under him five years ... "

De la Broue transfers the term “art rider” from the Italian “Cavalerizzo” as “Cavalerice” into French in order to emphasize the difference to “combat rider” / “war rider”; Gueriniere followed him 140 years later by calling the academic art of riding "L'art pour l'art" (art only for art).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Salomon de la Broue: Le cavalerice francois . 2nd Edition. La Vevfve L'Angelier, Paris 1610.
  2. ^ François Robichon de la Guérinière: The art of riding or thorough instruction for the knowledge of horses, their upbringing, entertainment and training, according to their various uses and purposes . New acad. Bookstore, Marburg 1791, p. 115/116 (French: École de cavalerie: contenant la connoissance, l'instruction et la conservation du cheval . Paris 1733. Translated by Daniel Knöll).
  3. ^ William Cavendish: A new method and extraordinary invention to dress horses . Tho. Milbourn, London 1667, p. 3 .


personal data
SURNAME La Broue, Salomon de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French riding instructor
DATE OF BIRTH around 1530
DATE OF DEATH around 1610