'To Amaze the People with Pleasure and Delight' by Elaine Walker HARDCOVER

GO BEYOND NEWCASTLE'S MASTERPIECE

If you've read The New Method of Dressing Horses, you're ready for the next step.

In To Amaze the People with Pleasure and Delight, Dr. Elaine Walker offers the first comprehensive study of William Cavendish, First Duke of Newcastle, and his two great horsemanship manuals of 1658 and 1667. Drawing on years of original research, she explores Newcastle's philosophy, riding methods, historical context, and enduring influence on the development of classical dressage.

Richly illustrated with 42 engravings by Abraham van Diepenbeeck and accompanied by complete English translations from Newcastle's original French manual, this remarkable volume reveals the thinking behind one of history's greatest riding masters and demonstrates why his work continues to resonate with modern riders.

Whether your interests lie in classical dressage, equestrian history, or the evolution of horse training, To Amaze the People with Pleasure and Delight offers fresh insights into Newcastle's genius and the world in which he lived.

The perfect companion to Xenophon Press's edition of The New Method of Dressing Horses. Read Newcastle's own words, then deepen your understanding through Dr. Walker's scholarly analysis. Together, these two volumes provide the most complete English-language resource available on the founder of classical dressage.

William Cavendish, first Duke of Newcastle’s passions included women, music, writing, theatre and, perhaps above all, the finest horses. He was a widely acknowledged expert in the art of the riding horse, and his works laid the foundation for classical dressage. Mastery in horsemanship was the mark of a graceful and accomplished gentleman in the European nobility of the seventeenth century.

In the first comprehensive study of Newcastle’s two horsemanship manuals dating from 1658 and 1667, Dr. Elaine Walker explores the insights they offer into riding practice, personal philosophy and motivation. Newcastle’s writing has surprising relevance to the modern rider or any reader interested in the long history of the coevolution of man and horse together.

42 engraved plates after Abraham van Diepenbeeck from the 1658 edition are included along with full translations from the original French manual.

“...a real contribution to knowledge...” - Boudewijn Commandeur, Founder of the Horse in Art Database, The Netherlands Institute for Art History.

Based in North Wales, Elaine Walker is a writer, academic, and consultant on the horse in cultural history. She discovered western riding and Appaloosa horses while on holiday in Scotland in 1990 and has remained devoted to both. The connection between western riding and the classical tradition was her starting point for researching the practical aspects of Newcastle’s manuals. Elaine Walker researched much of her Ph. D. thesis and the material for this book while mounted. She has given several displays and talks in Newcastle’s own riding house at Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire. When she is not writing or riding, she is a performing singer and musician.

• ISBN13:: 9780933316720
• PAGES: 198
• Hard cover edition
• Manufacturer: Xenophon Press