Antoine de Pluvinel

True precursor of the school of French horsemanship, Antoine de Pluvinel made evolve/move the equestrian techniques used in Italy at the end of the 16th century.

Biography

Antoine de Pluvinel is born with Crest in 1552, in the area of Valence (Valentinois).

Old of approximately ten years, it is sent by his father, Jean de Pluvinel, in Italy, with Naples, where it will work in the Academy founded by Grisone under the direction of Gioanni Pignatelli, until 1571 or 1572. On this date, it returns in France where it manages to be presented to the king Charles IX, by its first rider, Mr. de Sourdis.

It accompanies Henri III at the time of his voyage to go to take possession of the throne of Poland, then belonged to the section which brings back it soon to France, with died of Charles IX. In thanks, Henri III would have asked him to quarter his weapons (azure with the money torch, lit of gold, posed out of bar) with the rider of Lithuania. Especially, it took it under its protection and supported its rise.

In 1594, sponsored by the knight of Sainct-Antoine, his former comrade of horse-gear in Naples, and become first ordinary rider under Henri III and Henri IV, Pluvinel is authorized to found with Paris an Academy intended to improve the French nobility in " the exercise to go up to cheval". At that time, indeed, any gentleman must know to be riding, and addresses it in this exercise constitutes a mark of nobility, insofar as horsemanship initially continues, in mentalities, a goal warlike, in conformity with the tradition of the second order.

Until the creation of the Pluvinel academy, to receive a teaching of quality, the nobility was forced to go to Italy, by thus exposing the families to broad expenditure.

Antoine de Pluvinel with the idea d'" importer" Italian methods in France which it gradually will improve (in particular work on two pillars). By doing this, it competes with the Italian method by offering a complete formation in its academy, with the site of current the Place of the Pyramids. Exempted teaching rests initially on horsemanship, but it will extend to the dance and the other accomplishments. Pluvinel will thus have an important influence on its pupils, by giving the " ton" honest man of the beginning of the 17th century. Thus can one belong among the disciples to Pluvinel: William Cavendish, first duke of Devonshire, or Richelieu, then marquis of Chillou.

Its fame is such as it will be indicated by Henri IV as deputy governor of the dolphin Louis XIII, with for responsibility of putting the young king in saddle and making an accomplished rider of it.

It is also a director of the records of the crown, as at the time of famous Carousel of 1612, qu ' it organizes Royale place, future Place of the Vosges, as well as described F.de Rosset in " Romant of the knights of the gloire". The Musée Carnavalet has a table which represents this carousel.

Pluvinel dies the August 24th 1620, leaving 6 girls but any male posterity. The name passes then to its nephews (the older brother of Antoine, Jean II, chief of the name and of the weapons, had had a girl, Catherine, married to Gabriel of the Balsam. The 4 boys born of this union will bear the double name of the Balsam of Pluvinel). Its seigneurery of Feucherolles (Yvelines) and of Plessis Saint-Anthony will successively pass to the husband of its daughter elder, Briçonnet, then with the son resulting from marriage of his second daughter with Mr. de Biencourt de Poutrincourt, which is represented in several engravings of the Instruction.

(http://pluvinel.site.voila.fr).

Written work

The work to which Antoine de Pluvinel worked will be published hastily after its death under the title " the maneige royal" , then altered by his/her friend Menou de Charnizay, in a preoccupation with a fidelity to the old Master, with this time the title " the instruction of the king in the exercise to go up to cheval"

This famous treaty of horsemanship is written in the form of talks for submission to the young person Louis XIII. To initiate it with the art of " to reduce the horses in little time to the obéissance" , Antoine de Pluvinel softens the teaching which it itself received in Italy.

Its teaching is distinguished indeed from that of its Italian Masters by the assertion of two basic principles:

the psychology of the horse is not neglected,
the horse must be regarded as a sensitive and intelligent being.

It notes indeed that each horse has its own characteristics, defects and qualities; in a word: a personality. Its main concern is the wellbeing of the horse.

It thus returns to him the honor to have rejected certain methods and brutal processes of the Italian school. It worked out a teaching of the raising which, in the broad outlines remains of topicality. Indeed, he recommends the discretion of the assistances, the methods soft, the use of simple bits, to the broken guns, and recommends the easing of his mounting as well as work on two tracks. The artificial means come only like complement. The position of the " beautiful man of cheval" take as a starting point that indicated by Xénophon: " advanced stomach, tended legs, heels turned towards dehors."

Pluvinel especially recommends never not to resort to maltreatment, but to treat the horses with rigor and discipline, without never losing confidence in the technical superiority of the man. " That kindness overrides severity… One must beat a horse only if its disobedience is girl of idleness… " , because " (the kindness) is with the horses like the flower on the fruits, which ostée does not turn over jamais".

It makes work " brain more than the kidneys and the jambes" horse and known as: " one needs estre miserly blows and spendthrift of the caresses so, like rediray tousjours, to oblige the horse to obey and to handle plustost to playsir it that is needed for the mal".

Pluvinel gives in practice the pillars of raising which make it possible to soften the horse, initially without rider and saddle, then with a saddle but always without rider and finally perfect work in the double pillars of its invention which allow the lowering of the hips. They are still used in Vienna, in the horse-gear of the famous Spanish school.

Pluvinel can be regarded as the father of modern horsemanship, or the last traditional rider, in what it was formed at the old school of warlike horsemanship and which it knew to assimilate this heritage to evolve to a horsemanship of approval. Its work celebrates thus, with a great wealth of details, the practice of the tournaments, that the death of Henri II condemned to disappear, to be replaced by the carousels.

The teaching of Antoine de Pluvinel will be taken again, improved and softened, by François Robichon of Guérinière.

It should be added that the celebrity of Antoine de Pluvinel must much with the sumptuous posthumously published work: the quality of engravings of Crispin de Pas was not deteriorated by the centuries, while the text aged in its form. This book is very required bibliophiles, and presents an average dimension of 5.000 euros.

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