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MUSIC: Flight Of The Valkyries

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In this programme, I'm going to learn how to ride.

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In fact, better than that,

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we are going to learn how to dance together.

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Aren't we?

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'Now, before you think I've gone completely mad,

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'let me tell you that dancing on horseback - horse ballet or

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'manege, as it was called - was once the noblest of pursuits.'

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In the 17th century, it was practised by noblemen,

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courtiers and kings to show off their status and majesty.

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So, I'm going to be taught this forgotten art

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by its modern masters...

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Travel abroad to watch spectacular shows...

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Explore its military origins...

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And discover its surprising legacy.

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Because I believe that an equestrian extravaganza like this one

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can help explain why, throughout history, kings and queens

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and horses have gone together.

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"My kingdom for a horse," as Richard III said.

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Even today Her Majesty the Queen is in the saddle in her 80s.

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And princes play polo and princesses perform the art of dressage

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at Olympic levels.

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It seems that the kingdom and the horse will never be parted.

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LIVELY ORCHESTRAL MUSIC

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Now, before I jump into the saddle, I'm taking a trip to

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Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire, where I had my very first

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job as a young curator, because this was the place where

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I originally became fascinated by the royal art

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of making horses dance.

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I got so interested in the subject, I spent four years

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writing a PhD thesis about it.

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Bolsover, this picturesque little fairytale castle,

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was built in the first half of the 17th century, every bit of it

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reflecting the ambitions and passions of its owner,

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William Cavendish.

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Cavendish had a pretty successful career as a social climber.

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He started out as a simple sir, and then he went right up through

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the ranks of the aristocracy and he ended up as a duke.

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But in many ways, he was a regrettable person,

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he was a womaniser, he was a spendthrift,

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and he was something of a snob.

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But I've always had a certain weakness for him,

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and that's because of his charm and his creativity.

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He was interested in poetry and music and architecture.

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In fact, I'd go so far as to say I'm rather fond of him.

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Bolsover was William Cavendish's pride and joy.

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Even his chosen title as Duke of Newcastle

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was a play on his delight in this, his new castle.

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And it was here that he courted and won favour with the King, Charles I,

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creating this spectacular range of buildings for a single royal visit.

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And he spent a lot of time here practising a rather unusual

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horsey hobby.

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Of all the buildings at Bolsover Castle, I think that this

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is the most intriguing.

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This is the Riding House, which Cavendish built for his very

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weird hobby - teaching horses how to dance.

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This building isn't just a stable, it's a theatre.

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This is where William Cavendish's horses were taught to perform

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these amazing leaps and jumps, almost like doing ballet for horses.

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And that's why the floor is soft, for the horse's feet, the windows

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are elevated, so the horse can't look outside and get distracted.

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And this is a spectator sport, the gallery up there was

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for Cavendish's aristocratic chums to come

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and see the horses performing.

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He took this so seriously that he wrote a whole book

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about how to do it.

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Here he is in a picture at Bolsover Castle performing the capriole.

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That's pretty impressive, isn't it?

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And had we been here of a morning, we would have seen Cavendish

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training all of his horses for hours and hours against the walls,

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around these tall poles, showing off their moves.

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While this impressive building is no longer filled

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with horses performing their balletic moves on a daily basis,

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English Heritage do still put on equestrian spectacles,

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like those which displayed Cavendish's horsemanship skills.

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And over the next couple of months, it's my aim to saddle up,

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learn to ride and take part in a performance.

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Boots on.

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Here we go!

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GRUNTING

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Look at this.

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Isn't this lovely? Velvet.

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I think it goes a bit forwards, like that.

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Steady as you go.

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First day at school.

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Ooh!

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SHE LAUGHS

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Was that supposed to happen? I think that it was - you're smiling!

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SHE LAUGHS

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Oh! That was incredible!

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- You must be Ben. 
- Hi. 
- You've been slightly upstaged by your horse.

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THEY LAUGH

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- Well, that's the idea. 
- That was fantastic.

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What's that called, when he falls over like that?

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This is... Well, exactly, it's a falling horse.

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- Is this what you're going to teach me, to fall off? 
- Sadly not.

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This is rehearsing horses for film and TV,

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but what we're going to teach you is a bit more classical.

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Oh, OK. Well, I'd be very glad not to fall over.

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- But just as fun. He's happy enough. 
- Is he happy down there?

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That's a happy noise he's making.

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- Yeah, what he wants to do is have a good roll. 
- Oh!

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Good boy. As you see.

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SHE LAUGHS

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Is that what a happy horse does?

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- This is what a happy horse looks like. 
- OK.

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Ooh!

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HORSE SNORTS

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- So, this is Mallick. 
- Mallick.

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He's a four-year-old Andalusian stallion, and he is actually the son

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- of the horse you're going to ride. 
- What colour's my horse going to be?

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- Is he going to be black, too? 
- He's a beautiful white stallion.

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You can see the Spanish horses are all born dark colours.

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Mallick's a baby, and so he is black, but you can see he's going white.

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- Oh, is he going to go white? 
- Around his eyes. 
- Like his dad.

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And slowly he'll go as white as his dad.

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'In case you hadn't already guessed,

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'I have rather limited experience on a horse.'

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- Is this him? 
- Yeah. This is Almonso.

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- Hello, Almonso. 
- This is your horse.

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'In fact, I've only ever been in the saddle once before,

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'so it's going to be a bit of a challenge,

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'because the classical horse ballet that Ben's going to teach me -

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'or menage as it was known in the 17th century - was incredibly

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'skilled, relying on horses performing a series

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'of precisely controlled and disciplined moves

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'in complete harmony with their riders, like Cavendish,

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'who trained every morning for a lifetime to perfect the art.'

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OK. So, now you're putting your right hand to the back of the saddle.

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- Yeah. 
- And that's it there. Bend this leg.

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- Up, like here, and put your knee in my hand. 
- Can I?

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Put your knee in my hand. See, I'm going to hold you here,

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hold you there, and we're going to go one, two,

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- three, and I'm going to lift you as you jump... 
- No way!

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One, two, three..

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SHE SQUEALS

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- Oh, OK. It worked! 
- Perfect.

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- Wonderful. 
- Look how high I am!

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So, what we're going to do now is, you need your pedal.

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- Ooh, ooh. Rough. 
- How is it up there? Is the air colder?

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It's rather thrilling.

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SHE CHUCKLES

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Brilliant. So, let's push your balls of your toes in to there

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- and you're pushing the heel down. 
- Am I supposed to be gripping

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- with my knees? 
- No. 
- No. 
- Relax. So, that's a command, you see.

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- Is that why he's doing that? 
- Yeah.

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- I didn't mean it, Almonso, sorry. Stop, stop. 
- Good boy.

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- So, next were sorting your reins out. 
- In there.

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- Elbows in. 
- Elbows in.

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BEN LAUGHS

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- There we go. 
- I like the way you're treating me like a horse.

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You just gave a little spank to my elbow, didn't you?

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- You saw it sticking out.
- Well, you keep popping your elbows out.

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LUCY LAUGHS

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They have to stay in. Right, are you ready?

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- What, to walk? 
- Yeah. 
- Yeah!

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You say to him, "walk on" and push and flex with the heel.

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- Walk on, please. 
- That's it. So, squeeze me, squeeze.

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Let's take a left.

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- Now, left hand down. 
- Left, please, Almonso.

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- Turning with your right - right hand. 
- Right. Whoa, that was a good turn.

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OK, so push him on. Left hand down, start to turn him.

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- Right, please.
- Remember to turn with your shoulders.

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Push forward. So, push, push, push.

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Little squeeze on the heel, give him a kick. Turn your right hand down.

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- You're not on a motorbike, you're not dropping down in. 
- Wow, we are as one.

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- As one, yeah. So, when you're ready. 
- Off you go.

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Forward. Look with your shoulders. That's it.

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- Right hand down. 
- Oh, sorry.

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Don't do anything that I don't tell you to.

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I'm sorry, I got carried away.

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'So bossy!

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'I can see it's going to take some time just to learn how to

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'stay on a horse, let alone get it to dance which, of course,

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'is why menage was once considered such an aristocratic pursuit.'

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It not only needed leisure time to practise, it also required money.

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Cavendish had to construct a wonderful riding house

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and purchase the specialised athletic horses with the strength to

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perform these amazing moves.

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His favourite grey steed, Le Superb, was so called

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because of his superbly enormous price, and because he was

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a Spanish stallion he also had to be shipped from the Continent.

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And just like elite sports today,

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menage came with its own expensive kit, some of which survives

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at the Harley Gallery in Nottinghamshire.

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So, Ben, this is said to be the actual menage saddle

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of William Cavendish. That's amazing, isn't it?

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- His bottom sat just here. 
- Exactly.

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You can see where the suede that covers the saddle,

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when worn away or when ridden in,

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it happens in modern saddles as well, you see, it turns to leather.

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- Turns a bit shiny. 
- Turns shiny.

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And what we can see from this is how, you see,

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there's much more around the back of the saddle.

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- Is that because he was rearing up and doing manege? 
- Exactly.

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All these manege moves are pushing you further back,

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and, as well, because we have this very forward leg sticking out

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in front of the rider position.

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So, this saddle is small, so you can sit back in it,

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- but you'll still be well forward on the horse. 
- Exactly.

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Oh, OK. It's almost like the seat in a racing car, then, that's forcing

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the driver to sit down and back and low and to be

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- in a sort of fast position. 
- Absolutely.

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That's exactly how this saddle is created.

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It looks to me like that's freakishly small,

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like you'd never get your leg through there. Is that right?

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Yeah, I think that Cavendish designed this saddle for that very purpose.

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So, it's so that that thin space is clamping the leg,

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it's holding the thigh to keep you positioned sitting up and sitting

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back with the leg forward, which was very much the style of the day.

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What Cavendish has done here, he's created the saddle that

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- doesn't allow you to ride in a bad position. 
- It's a prison saddle.

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HE LAUGHS

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It's a corrective. It's a saddle that will help you teach yourself

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and also give the horse the best possible ride.

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I think I need one of these.

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I'm not saying anything.

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Owning a stable full of dancing horses,

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with their customised saddles and gear,

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reveals how passionate Cavendish was about this art.

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But his obsession wasn't just a personal whim,

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menage was an activity that was absolutely expected

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of a 17th century nobleman, and this began at the very top.

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Charles I was equally dedicated to the art.

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He even placed his son, the future Charles II,

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in Cavendish's tutelage so that he could learn from an expert.

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'To find out why they all invested so much in this

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'peculiar activity, I'm meeting Cavendish expert Elspeth Graham.'

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Elspeth, this whole business of menage is bonkers, isn't it?

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I mean, I don't believe he had a horse with wings, OK,

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he's making that up, but this is a real movement, he could do this.

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Not only are these real movements from the menage,

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which are very precisely shown, he's in the position giving

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what are called "the aids" to make the horse do that which is a real

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menage movement called the capriole, cos it looks like a goat jumping.

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- And they could really do this as well? 
- And they could really do that.

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Though, normally, you would have a rider or someone on the ground.

238
00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:15,360
- Controlling them. 
- Controlling them. Yes.

239
00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:18,120
Oh, wow, so it does have some roots in reality, this image?

240
00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:20,640
The thing about these is, they're absolutely real

241
00:13:20,640 --> 00:13:22,600
and they're very precise.

242
00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:26,200
The position that he's sitting in - or almost standing, actually -

243
00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:31,960
is exactly the position he would have used to create that movement.

244
00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:35,680
Why did Cavendish practise this art?

245
00:13:35,680 --> 00:13:37,840
He was passionate about horses,

246
00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:43,560
but it's also a very important skill for anybody at his level in society.

247
00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:47,600
- It's the thing that really made you a leader. 
- A leader?

248
00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:52,120
- It's as important as that in society? 
- Absolutely.

249
00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:56,880
In fact, our modern word, "management", comes from the skills.

250
00:13:56,880 --> 00:13:58,960
- Of the menage? 
- From the menage.

251
00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:02,520
- Oh, my goodness! So it is. 
- It's from the Italian, manegiare.

252
00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:06,560
How can it be that prancing about on a horse wearing a silly hat

253
00:14:06,560 --> 00:14:09,880
represents management skills? What's the connection?

254
00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:12,600
Well, first of all, it is very skilled.

255
00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:15,400
I mean, to do something like this takes years

256
00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:19,080
and years of training and studying and practice.

257
00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:22,840
You also have to be in total harmony with the horse,

258
00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:27,520
just as a leader has to be completely focused on what they're doing

259
00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:31,520
and in harmony with the people he's leading.

260
00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:35,920
'I think I can see why the ability to perform menage moves with skill

261
00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:39,640
'and ease was an excellent way for a 17th century courtier to display

262
00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:43,680
'his self-control and confidence - two qualities that I hope Ben

263
00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:46,640
'will be able to teach me as my own lessons

264
00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:49,880
'progress towards my performance.'

265
00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:51,280
Whee!

266
00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:54,200
Up like a pro. Almost.

267
00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:56,120
What are we going to do today, Ben?

268
00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:58,920
So, today, we're moving on to the sort of the first real meaty

269
00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:03,480
bits of classical, more Cavendish's menage, more extravagant movements.

270
00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:07,520
- Well, if you think I can do it. 
- I think you definitely can.

271
00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:10,040
I think I'll be all right, but it's a bit daunting.

272
00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:12,160
So, the first of them is the Spanish walk.

273
00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:14,560
What you're going to do is, you're going to rock gently

274
00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:18,640
from side to side, and contrary to popular belief, most people,

275
00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:22,520
when you watch, they think it's as the foot hits, the horse strikes out.

276
00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:25,640
Actually, for example, as the right leg comes in

277
00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:28,480
and the left leg comes out, the horse's left leg will come out,

278
00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:32,920
cos what you're doing is pushing the pressure to push him up and out.

279
00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:35,440
Do you understand?

280
00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:40,280
So, as this leg pushes in and this leg lifts out, this leg...

281
00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:41,720
HE CLICKS HIS TONGUE

282
00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:43,680
- Will jump up. 
- Aye.

283
00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:45,000
HE KISSES HIS TEETH

284
00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,080
Will come out.

285
00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:50,520
And it's also the first in the building blocks of our other,

286
00:15:50,520 --> 00:15:53,480
more extravagant, more balletic moves as well.

287
00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:56,160
So, we're going to see a bit of ballet from you, Almonso, today.

288
00:15:56,160 --> 00:16:00,400
Yeah, absolutely. He's a dancing, dancing pony. Walk on.

289
00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:02,200
- Just kick him. 
- Walk on.

290
00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:04,720
That's it. I'm going to Spanish walk back with you this way,

291
00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:07,840
- so, left hand down.
- Left hand, please.

292
00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:10,600
Easy with your hands. Keep them in. Walk on.

293
00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:15,080
LUCY GASPS

294
00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:18,160
Look at me, I'm Spanish walking!

295
00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:22,160
- Good. Now, right hand down. 
- Oh!

296
00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:24,600
Push him forward. Concentrate on your riding,

297
00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:27,280
don't get distracted by what you're doing.

298
00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:29,600
- That's it. 
- Showing off there. 
- Now push him on.

299
00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:32,840
- Now, I want you to ride back to the top and we'll start again. 
- Right.

300
00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:34,120
So, kick him on.

301
00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:37,560
Remember, you're going to rock gently.

302
00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:41,200
Your rocking is going to ask him to elevate and collect out. So..

303
00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:50,960
- Good. And turn right. 
- Oh, fantastic!

304
00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:55,400
See, I felt then like he was mirroring me with my big legs.

305
00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:00,200
Hoo! Giddy up! Giddy up. Come on.

306
00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:05,680
- Good, turn him round. 
- Go, go.

307
00:17:05,680 --> 00:17:09,920
'Even if you're deeply impressed with my new riding skills,

308
00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:12,720
'you might still be asking yourself whether all this was worth

309
00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:16,200
'the effort to show off your power and status.

310
00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:18,600
'After all, building the odd castle or two

311
00:17:18,600 --> 00:17:20,880
'ought to have done the trick.

312
00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:25,520
'But the answer lies way back earlier than Cavendish's time.'

313
00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:28,720
I've returned to Britain's most famous Norman castle,

314
00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:32,880
the Tower of London, where I work as chief curator.

315
00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:36,720
It's no coincidence that the Tower's mastermind - William I -

316
00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:40,000
conquered the country with 1,000 cavalrymen.

317
00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:43,360
His opponent, Harold, had fought on foot.

318
00:17:43,360 --> 00:17:46,240
And as for Richard III, we all know what happened

319
00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:48,760
to his kingdom when he lost his horse.

320
00:17:50,120 --> 00:17:53,520
In fact, throughout the medieval period, good horsemanship

321
00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:58,200
was so crucial to success on the battlefield that it became equally

322
00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:03,000
important in the pomp and ceremony of majesty in times of peace.

323
00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:09,840
Now, 100 years earlier,

324
00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:13,640
Henry VIII was also using horses and horsemanship

325
00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:16,400
as a really important part of his kingship.

326
00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:20,680
This really fabulous suit of armour wasn't made for the battlefield,

327
00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:23,160
it was made for sport, for jousting.

328
00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:26,000
You can tell it comes from early on in Henry's reign

329
00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:28,240
because he's still married to wife number one,

330
00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:32,920
Katherine of Aragon, hence the Hs and Ks that decorate it.

331
00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:35,960
I think the really special thing about it is the way that the

332
00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:39,960
man's armour and the horse's armour, they're sort of fused together,

333
00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:43,800
that's what gives this Robocop armoured car type impression.

334
00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:47,720
And I also really like the detail of that decoration.

335
00:18:47,720 --> 00:18:50,920
Had there been a dull moment in the tournament,

336
00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:54,560
Henry could have read his armour like a comic book.

337
00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:58,920
At the front here I can see St George killing his dragon

338
00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:03,680
very decisively, he's completely skewered it with his spear.

339
00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:05,640
But that's all in the detail.

340
00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:10,000
The overall impression then as now has to be,

341
00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:11,760
"Here comes the King."

342
00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:17,320
Jousting was an elite sport

343
00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:21,000
born out of battlefield tactics in the age when medieval knights

344
00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:24,280
in shining armour charged in to war.

345
00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:28,560
But tournaments weren't just for displaying testosterone,

346
00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:31,960
they were central to the medieval idea of chivalry,

347
00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:37,080
the word itself coming from the French for horse - cheval.

348
00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:39,280
This is a jousting lance,

349
00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:42,760
as would have been used by Henry VIII and his courtiers.

350
00:19:42,760 --> 00:19:46,200
This particular one probably belonged to Henry's brother-in-law,

351
00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:48,960
the very good jouster Charles Brandon.

352
00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:51,320
You're wondering how on earth did he pick that up,

353
00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:53,400
it looks enormously heavy?

354
00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:57,600
The answer is it's actually hollow, this one was probably ceremonial.

355
00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:00,840
Your ability at jousting really determined your place

356
00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:03,840
in the pecking order at Henry VIII's court.

357
00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:07,800
It's very interesting to look at the scorecards from jousts.

358
00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:09,600
Charles Brandon, for example,

359
00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:12,720
beat absolutely everybody except for the King.

360
00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:15,120
Very diplomatic of him.

361
00:20:15,120 --> 00:20:20,280
You can also see the role of jousting in international diplomacy

362
00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:23,800
in this painting of the Field of the Cloth of Gold.

363
00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:29,440
This was a huge party held in a field outside Calais in 1520.

364
00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:31,600
It was called Cloth of Gold because

365
00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:35,600
that was the material used for these very luxurious tents.

366
00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:38,680
The main people there were Henry VIII of England

367
00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:40,640
and Francis I of France.

368
00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:44,240
And what was the highlight of the whole thing? It was the jousting.

369
00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:49,120
Look here, they've constructed a whole temporary jousting arena

370
00:20:49,120 --> 00:20:53,200
with places for the spectators, and they took so much trouble building

371
00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:56,960
this from scratch because of the importance of jousting to both men.

372
00:20:56,960 --> 00:20:59,720
It showed off their skills as horsemen

373
00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:02,640
and it implied their strength as leaders.

374
00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:08,360
So, to find out what was involved in wearing Henry VIII's armour,

375
00:21:08,360 --> 00:21:11,240
I'm heading to the Royal Armoury's tilt yard

376
00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:14,480
or jousting arena in Leeds.

377
00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:17,440
OK. Let's assemble my right leg.

378
00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:19,760
Slide your toe in.

379
00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:22,320
Bring the greave round.

380
00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:28,880
- Please go on. You can do it. 
- Done. We'll leave that for now

381
00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:32,040
and we'll come round and start doing some of these straps.

382
00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:35,600
- My inner thigh strap. 
- Your inner thigh strap, yeah.

383
00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:38,240
We're getting to know each other quite well here, aren't we?

384
00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:41,760
I'm afraid it all does get very personal. And I shall behave.

385
00:21:41,760 --> 00:21:44,120
Point it off, tie it nice and tight.

386
00:21:44,120 --> 00:21:47,360
And the next thing, though, it would be more appropriate for you,

387
00:21:47,360 --> 00:21:49,440
is a skirt that's going to go on next.

388
00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:51,200
- A skirt?
- Yeah. But this time...

389
00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:53,640
- Oh, I guess you're wearing a sort of mini skirt. 
- Yeah.

390
00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:57,240
Right, so if you can daintily put one leg in. You can hold me as support.

391
00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:01,200
And then adjust your weight, try and get the other leg in.

392
00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:04,480
Now, here's the magic bit. Go on, you can do it. Go on.

393
00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:10,400
One, two, three, done. OK. And then together. There we are. Slide it up.

394
00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:13,840
And if you don't mind me I shall come and adjust you round the back.

395
00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:15,440
Shove me in.

396
00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:18,120
The most important thing about it is that,

397
00:22:18,120 --> 00:22:21,040
yes, it might be comfortable, but it's got to protect you.

398
00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:23,520
And obviously having a metal skirt means slashing

399
00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:25,800
and cutting is not going to slice through that metal.

400
00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:27,480
So, reasonably good protection.

401
00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:29,760
- It's nice and flexible. 
- Good. 
- Yeah. OK.

402
00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:31,680
So, we've now got a skirt on,

403
00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:34,320
so you've got your manoeuvrability. You look...

404
00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:36,240
I love the way my feet are jointed

405
00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:38,200
and they bend in an almost creepy manner.

406
00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:40,520
- Well, they're supposed to be... 
- I look like a robot.

407
00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:42,520
They're supposed to be something good.

408
00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:44,920
If you just count the number of separate plates on there.

409
00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:48,120
There's over 20 separate plates all riveting and sliding over each other

410
00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:51,600
to enable you to do everything that you need to do while in the armour.

411
00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:56,720
- So, let's have my Tudor torso, please... 
- Perfect. 
- ..squire. 
- Behave.

412
00:22:56,720 --> 00:22:59,280
Right, so we'll go with the breast and back.

413
00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:01,360
Are you tying it on again with string?

414
00:23:01,360 --> 00:23:04,040
Yeah, well, a combination of buckles and straps.

415
00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:06,200
- Ooh, I like this. 
- Do you? Excellent.

416
00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:08,920
It's going to make it slightly easier to put it on you, then.

417
00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:10,680
Is it nonstick?

418
00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:13,360
I mean, one of the things about the armour, obviously,

419
00:23:13,360 --> 00:23:16,040
is that it's very bright. It's shiny.

420
00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:20,280
White armour sometimes it's known, and the reason for that is

421
00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:22,760
the whiter you make it, the smoother you make it,

422
00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:24,760
obviously, as weapons come along,

423
00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:27,640
they deflect or have a greater tendency to reflect

424
00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:29,120
rather than sort of bite.

425
00:23:29,120 --> 00:23:31,440
So, the next thing, you start putting the arms on.

426
00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:33,400
So, you're going to tie it on up there, are you?

427
00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:35,680
I am. Through there, through there, through there.

428
00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:37,080
And, again, obviously,

429
00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:39,280
these wax points come in handy, keeps it in place.

430
00:23:39,280 --> 00:23:41,720
The last thing you want, certainly with armour,

431
00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:45,520
is it to start moving on its own. If this was to slip an inch...

432
00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:48,040
It could do you a nasty injury, couldn't it?

433
00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:51,120
It would do you a nasty injury, but also the armour locks up,

434
00:23:51,120 --> 00:23:55,400
and if it locks up and you're posing at 55mph in a joust

435
00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:57,840
and you can't get your lance down in time,

436
00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:01,680
you get the full force of His Majesty's lance in your face.

437
00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:06,120
So, now you're four-fifths there and kind of ready to go.

438
00:24:06,120 --> 00:24:08,600
- My hat. 
- Hat? 
- Sorry.

439
00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:11,520
Ladies wear hats, men wear caps, berets or helmets.

440
00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:14,040
- We'll put it on. Are we ready? 
- Yeah.

441
00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:18,240
Slowly lower it down just above your brow. Strap it in.

442
00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:21,560
- And then the visor would come down. 
- Oh, yes.

443
00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:24,160
I would lock it in to place. And you'd be ready.

444
00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:26,000
Oh, yes, I am Robocop.

445
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:27,840
Now a medieval knight's armour

446
00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:30,320
obviously fitted rather better than mine.

447
00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:33,280
But even so, I find it pretty impressive that anyone could

448
00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:37,960
function at all clad in 90lbs of metal, let alone get on a horse.

449
00:24:40,120 --> 00:24:43,400
And with only a couple of lessons under my belt

450
00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:47,040
I'm rather relieved to leave the tournament unscathed.

451
00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:51,600
You can see why Henry VIII and his chums enjoyed this extreme sport

452
00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:53,960
to show off their manliness.

453
00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:55,400
But a century later,

454
00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:59,040
jousting had almost completely died out and the courtiers

455
00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:01,320
and the soldiers of the 17th century

456
00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:04,080
had lost their taste for heavy metal.

457
00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:08,240
I'm visiting the Royal Armoury's store room to find out why.

458
00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:13,080
Here we've got the last gasp of the medieval knight.

459
00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:15,000
This is the heavy cavalryman.

460
00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:17,360
But it's not as heavy as what I was wearing

461
00:25:17,360 --> 00:25:18,880
out in the tournament yard, is it?

462
00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:21,880
I mean, there's less of it, he hasn't got the bottom part.

463
00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:24,600
No, you're right. They're all beginning to shed it.

464
00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:28,640
They're no longer wearing leg armour, they're just wearing boots.

465
00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:30,280
Yes, yes.

466
00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:34,000
They may well have gauntlets, but they've still got full protection,

467
00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:36,840
but not as complete as what you were wearing.

468
00:25:36,840 --> 00:25:39,120
And is that because people now have guns

469
00:25:39,120 --> 00:25:41,000
and this won't save you from a gun?

470
00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:42,640
They were proofed against guns.

471
00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:44,680
Oh, wow! So, this is actually bulletproof?

472
00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:46,680
- It's bulletproof. 
- Oh, blimey, goodness.

473
00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:48,600
And why were they getting rid of armour then?

474
00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:52,800
The infantry is no longer drawn up in lines, they're in blocks,

475
00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:56,680
and they're moving, so the cavalry is weaving its way round it.

476
00:25:56,680 --> 00:26:00,720
So, we need this weaving agile movement on a horse,

477
00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:03,760
and you need to have that expertise and skill.

478
00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:08,880
So, an ability to control and move a horse and turn it fast

479
00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:12,920
is something completely new in battlefield tactics.

480
00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:17,680
They wouldn't have that at all in the Middle Ages, you just went forwards.

481
00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:20,520
So, it's like somebody's turned up the speedometer

482
00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:22,240
and battle is now a lot quicker.

483
00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:27,440
- Now, instead of strength and weight, you just want to be nippy? 
- Yes.

484
00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:29,960
So, what would your up-to-date, flexible,

485
00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:33,120
nippy light cavalryman be wearing?

486
00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:36,160
Ah, he's wearing something really special.

487
00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:41,560
- Oh, not armour at all. 
- Leather.

488
00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:44,840
That's not going to stop a bullet either though, is it? No.

489
00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:47,920
It will absorb some of the shock, but, no, that's why...

490
00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:50,480
Ah, you wear a little breastplate on the front.

491
00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:52,440
- Little breastplate. 
- Oh, OK.

492
00:26:52,440 --> 00:26:54,160
So, he's still lightweight and mobile.

493
00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:57,320
The leather will protect against a sword cut.

494
00:26:57,320 --> 00:27:03,480
This is the bulletproof part of it and, of course, the helmet.

495
00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:05,960
He's wearing a little helmet on the top.

496
00:27:05,960 --> 00:27:09,440
So, our up-to-date 17th century cavalryman

497
00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:12,640
is wearing less gear than a medieval knight

498
00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:16,320
and he has to dash around the battlefield a lot more.

499
00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:18,360
So, it's probably quite a good idea for him

500
00:27:18,360 --> 00:27:21,600
to train his horse with the art of menage, is it?

501
00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:23,800
Yes, absolutely.

502
00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:26,760
Although jousting might appear more manly,

503
00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:29,560
the art of menage was better preparation

504
00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:33,280
for the style of fighting on the 17th century battlefield.

505
00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:36,880
The ability to impress people with your horse dancing

506
00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:39,720
not only made you a far cooler king,

507
00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:44,080
but suggested you could also be a killer king -

508
00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:46,360
as Ben's now going to show me.

509
00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:58,240
Was that the piaffe that you were doing there?

510
00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:01,160
- The passage. 
- Passage. That's that one.

511
00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:03,440
Piaffe is stationary, passage is moving forward.

512
00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:05,880
I have to say it looks a little bit effeminate.

513
00:28:05,880 --> 00:28:08,440
Is that really a manoeuvre from the battlefield?

514
00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:12,160
The collection and strength gained by the horse by performing this movement

515
00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:14,040
is very vital on the battlefield.

516
00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:16,720
If you watch soldiers work in rank, in line,

517
00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:19,720
the man on the outside may have to do double time,

518
00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:21,880
but the man in the middle is central

519
00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:24,000
and not moving and marches on the spot.

520
00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:26,960
- Oh, that's why it is. 
- And there is no difference when on horseback. 
- OK.

521
00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:29,600
So, he might be waiting for the others to catch up sort of thing.

522
00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:32,440
- To catch up. 
- Right. 
- And to keep the rhythm and power in the horse.

523
00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:34,920
So, imagine we're a troop of cavalry, we're all straight,

524
00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:36,800
we're doing this on the spot,

525
00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:39,560
what else might we want to do next that you can demonstrate?

526
00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:41,960
So, the next stage from this is to go in to the piaffe.

527
00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:45,200
So, the horse remains stationary while he trots on the spot.

528
00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:47,840
So, he's collecting... He's bringing his powerhouse,

529
00:28:47,840 --> 00:28:50,680
his bum underneath him and coiling that spring,

530
00:28:50,680 --> 00:28:52,760
twisting and getting ready for the big leaps.

531
00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:54,920
When you see them going on the spot like this,

532
00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:56,720
they're actually getting ready to go?

533
00:28:56,720 --> 00:28:59,680
Yes, it's very much like a boxer on his toes before he goes in the ring.

534
00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:02,600
So, it's that bouncing, that sort of building power right behind

535
00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:05,440
so we can go in to those big airs off the ground, like the capriole,

536
00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:07,920
- the courbette and the levade. 
- Let's see it.

537
00:29:28,960 --> 00:29:30,640
Yeah.

538
00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:34,680
Now what about changing direction then?

539
00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:36,400
That's very important too, isn't it?

540
00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:40,480
Right, so now we have the horse being able to collect and move stationary,

541
00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:44,080
we want him to see some more of these movements where the cavalry excels

542
00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:47,720
and it's fast-moving, fast-changing, open-plan battlefield.

543
00:29:47,720 --> 00:29:50,400
So, what we're going to move on to now is the canter pirouette.

544
00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:54,360
The canter pirouette means moving direction really quickly

545
00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:55,840
- without stopping. 
- Absolutely.

546
00:29:55,840 --> 00:29:58,000
So, it's being able to turn on the spot

547
00:29:58,000 --> 00:29:59,920
without losing the momentum of the canter.

548
00:29:59,920 --> 00:30:02,160
So, all riding we've got that rhythm, those beats,

549
00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:06,000
and if you were to stop and turn it so much, it will lose that speed.

550
00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,800
So, and it also means we can practise deception on the battlefield

551
00:30:08,800 --> 00:30:11,000
if we have the horse turning and moving fast enough.

552
00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:13,200
Oh, we don't know which way you're going to go next.

553
00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:16,120
Absolutely not. At the last minute I can drop my horse on to his hocks,

554
00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:18,640
spin him round in to you and take you out.

555
00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:21,080
I really hope you're not about to do that.

556
00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:24,120
- This is the art of deception with the horses... 
- Oh, OK.

557
00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:27,880
..and with other people. So, we'll see now. We'll work in to canter.

558
00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:49,120
That was pretty good.

559
00:30:49,120 --> 00:30:52,800
So, that spinning around that you were doing then that's called the...

560
00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:55,640
- The pirouette. 
- The cantering pirouette. 
- Pirouette. 
- Wow.

561
00:30:55,640 --> 00:30:58,520
So, what we have there is the horse is coming in.

562
00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:00,560
You see we can go to wherever we want

563
00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:03,560
and then swift in to that movement literally on the spot.

564
00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:07,520
So, what's next? Is it the big leaps, the airs above the ground?

565
00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:09,760
- Absolutely. The capriole. 
- The capriole.

566
00:31:09,760 --> 00:31:12,280
The piaffe and the passage, so the horse leaping

567
00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:14,720
clean off the ground and striking out with the hind legs.

568
00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:16,560
- We're going to change horses... 
- Yeah.

569
00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:19,920
..and we're going to bring out a big black battle stallion for that.

570
00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:21,840
- A good kicker. 
- A good kicker, yeah.

571
00:31:21,840 --> 00:31:25,200
- The best kicker in the stable. 
- Yeah.

572
00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:32,520
- Here he comes. 
- Easy.

573
00:31:32,520 --> 00:31:35,040
Here's the big black beast.

574
00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:37,040
Hello, there.

575
00:31:37,040 --> 00:31:39,280
He's a good boy. He's only a baby,

576
00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:42,080
so he's learning the airs above the ground.

577
00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:45,120
Let's see your airs above the ground then, please.

578
00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:00,520
Wow!

579
00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:02,240
If you were standing behind that,

580
00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:05,680
- you would be toast by this point, wouldn't you? 
- So, yeah,

581
00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:10,320
the cavalryman's worst fear is that he can't move.

582
00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:12,880
- Someone's come up behind him. 
- Well, surrounded.

583
00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:15,720
Imagine, you charge in, you're laying about you with your sword

584
00:32:15,720 --> 00:32:18,880
and then suddenly you're surrounded with men, you can't get out.

585
00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:21,720
You and your horse are now not the terrifying thing,

586
00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:23,560
you're just a very big meat target.

587
00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:26,840
And so here, that's where we see here comes collect, collect,

588
00:32:26,840 --> 00:32:28,840
- and then we're up.. 
- Kicking. 
- ..and out.

589
00:32:28,840 --> 00:32:32,880
And as soon as you land you would ride hell for leather.

590
00:32:32,880 --> 00:32:35,960
A kick in the face from you and you would be dead.

591
00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:39,920
And they'd have studs in the horses' hooves as well, like footballers.

592
00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:41,920
So, it's a nasty way to go.

593
00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:51,560
Oh!

594
00:33:03,320 --> 00:33:07,400
So, now it's time to test my own killer instincts.

595
00:33:07,400 --> 00:33:10,440
Ben, do you realise my life is in your hands?

596
00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:12,040
Well, it's in his hands,

597
00:33:12,040 --> 00:33:15,240
and you can trust him a lot more than you can trust me, I promise you.

598
00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:16,880
So, basically what this is going to do,

599
00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:18,680
getting the horse to rear while you're on,

600
00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:20,640
it's going to do is get you used to that motion

601
00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:22,760
of the horse lifting himself with his hind legs

602
00:33:22,760 --> 00:33:24,920
and bringing those front legs off the floor.

603
00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:27,320
OK, let's have rearing for beginners.

604
00:33:27,320 --> 00:33:29,200
Come back.

605
00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:33,760
Come in.

606
00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:38,120
Goodness.

607
00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:48,640
That really makes you think that he's a force of nature.

608
00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:51,800
That was like being in an earthquake or something.

609
00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:55,240
Good boy.

610
00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:08,600
Fantastic. Well done, Almonso.

611
00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:11,840
I'm slightly shaking now.

612
00:34:11,840 --> 00:34:13,160
Like we said before,

613
00:34:13,160 --> 00:34:15,760
it's not something you're going to forget for a long time.

614
00:34:15,760 --> 00:34:18,240
I've lost my rearing virginity

615
00:34:18,240 --> 00:34:21,240
and that's a wonderful climax to the day, really.

616
00:34:21,240 --> 00:34:22,400
Thank you, Almonso.

617
00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:27,560
Now that I'm armed with some actual riding experience,

618
00:34:27,560 --> 00:34:30,880
I'm not only beginning to feel more confident in the saddle,

619
00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:34,280
but much more in tune with the 17th century monarchs I've

620
00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:37,760
encountered so often over my years as a curator.

621
00:34:40,920 --> 00:34:44,440
I must have seen this picture 1,000 times.

622
00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:48,960
I've always known it shows Charles I on horseback coming in to

623
00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:52,720
a riding house, a bit like Bolsover, for his daily lesson.

624
00:34:52,720 --> 00:34:54,080
And that's his riding teacher,

625
00:34:54,080 --> 00:34:57,360
who was also the riding teacher of William Cavendish.

626
00:34:57,360 --> 00:35:00,320
But now I've been hanging around with the horses, there's a lot more

627
00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:01,960
that I can see here.

628
00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:05,920
This particular horse has got an extra well-developed bottom.

629
00:35:05,920 --> 00:35:10,000
He's been powering up to do his rearing with his back legs.

630
00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:14,840
He's also walking in a way that's a menage move, he's doing something

631
00:35:14,840 --> 00:35:19,320
called the piaffe, that means, sort of, skipping on the spot like this.

632
00:35:19,320 --> 00:35:21,480
And look at Charles' armour.

633
00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:24,360
No need for him to be wearing armour for his riding lesson,

634
00:35:24,360 --> 00:35:29,880
but that's old-fashioned armour, it's a nod to the chivalric past.

635
00:35:29,880 --> 00:35:33,560
So, it's pretty clear why Charles I has chosen to be

636
00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:36,240
shown on his horse of menage.

637
00:35:36,240 --> 00:35:41,360
Here, he's in control of a tremendously powerful beast

638
00:35:41,360 --> 00:35:44,840
and that's a metaphor for the control that he has, as a king.

639
00:35:44,840 --> 00:35:47,840
It's a metaphor for his own majesty.

640
00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:54,400
With his shining armour and powerful steed,

641
00:35:54,400 --> 00:35:58,800
Charles I may have thought he was the ultimate king and ruler.

642
00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:01,280
But, unfortunately, as history revealed,

643
00:36:01,280 --> 00:36:04,120
he was rather catastrophically wrong about that.

644
00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:08,640
In 1642, Charles' people rebelled against him,

645
00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:12,080
and the country descended in to Civil War.

646
00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:16,920
Perhaps the greatest irony, was that Charles' passion for horse ballet

647
00:36:16,920 --> 00:36:20,840
became the most potent symbol of his enemy's discontent.

648
00:36:22,600 --> 00:36:25,840
As every schoolgirl knows, the Civil Wars were

649
00:36:25,840 --> 00:36:29,920
fought between the Parliamentarian Roundheads, so called because

650
00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:34,240
of their pudding basin haircuts, and the Royalist Cavaliers who get their

651
00:36:34,240 --> 00:36:35,880
name from their horses,

652
00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:39,280
just like in French, the chevalier is the horseman.

653
00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:43,400
This is Prince Rupert, one of the top Royalist Cavalier generals

654
00:36:43,400 --> 00:36:46,880
on his horse, and it's actually performing the levade,

655
00:36:46,880 --> 00:36:50,800
something he would've done in the riding house in more peaceful times.

656
00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:52,240
He looks pretty dashing,

657
00:36:52,240 --> 00:36:55,320
but if Prince Rupert had heard you calling him a Cavalier,

658
00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:58,840
he wouldn't have been very happy, because, originally,

659
00:36:58,840 --> 00:36:59,920
it was an insult.

660
00:36:59,920 --> 00:37:02,840
It was dreamt up by their Roundhead enemies with

661
00:37:02,840 --> 00:37:05,320
the implication that this lot, the Royalists,

662
00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:09,280
spent far too much time prancing about on their ponies and not enough

663
00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:13,320
time paying attention to the serious business of running the country.

664
00:37:15,280 --> 00:37:18,680
For Cavendish, the ultimate Cavalier and horseman,

665
00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:22,640
the Civil War was particularly humiliating.

666
00:37:22,640 --> 00:37:26,320
At the hour of greatest need, all that self-control and discipline

667
00:37:26,320 --> 00:37:31,000
he developed through a lifetime of menage, somewhat fell apart.

668
00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:34,000
It all went wrong for William Cavendish at the

669
00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:37,480
Battle of Marston Moor in 1644.

670
00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:41,000
When he and his men arrived at the battlefield, they were late

671
00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:44,520
and his co-commander, Prince Rupert, noticed that they were all

672
00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:46,480
still drunk from the night before.

673
00:37:46,480 --> 00:37:49,600
And then, at the very moment that Oliver Cromwell

674
00:37:49,600 --> 00:37:52,400
and the Roundhead Cavalry came charging up the left wing,

675
00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:55,200
well, William Cavendish was having a smoke.

676
00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:58,560
He was in his coach and calling for a pipe of tobacco.

677
00:37:59,640 --> 00:38:03,360
He did get back on his horse and he did fight bravely,

678
00:38:03,360 --> 00:38:05,000
but he'd missed the moment.

679
00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:07,560
The battle was a miserable defeat.

680
00:38:09,440 --> 00:38:13,120
As a consequence of the Civil War, Charles I lost his head,

681
00:38:13,120 --> 00:38:17,240
Cavendish lost face and his estates, and along with

682
00:38:17,240 --> 00:38:21,160
the rest of the Royalist courtiers, he fled in exile to the Continent.

683
00:38:22,200 --> 00:38:26,160
When he and the rest of the court were finally able to return

684
00:38:26,160 --> 00:38:29,880
with the restoration of the monarchy under Charles II, the new

685
00:38:29,880 --> 00:38:34,640
regime retained its horsey passions, although the Merry Monarch

686
00:38:34,640 --> 00:38:38,800
took his own equestrian activities in rather a different direction.

687
00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:49,480
Now, this is said to be Charles II's whip.

688
00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:53,080
It is of the right period and it's got on it a coat of arms

689
00:38:53,080 --> 00:38:57,200
belonging to Barbara Villiers, his favourite mistress.

690
00:38:57,200 --> 00:39:00,760
And the story goes that she gave it to him as a present.

691
00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:04,800
Who knows what for? But Charles II did love horses.

692
00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:07,840
He wouldn't have been using his whip, though, for the art of menage,

693
00:39:07,840 --> 00:39:10,720
like his father. He wasn't interested in that.

694
00:39:10,720 --> 00:39:14,080
Charles II would have been using his whip to make horses

695
00:39:14,080 --> 00:39:16,440
go as fast as possible.

696
00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:22,640
Instead of pouring his efforts into menage, which by now had

697
00:39:22,640 --> 00:39:25,360
negative self-indulgent connotations,

698
00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:29,160
Charles II focused his attention on horse racing,

699
00:39:29,160 --> 00:39:33,720
creating a mini racing metropolis here at Newmarket, where

700
00:39:33,720 --> 00:39:38,080
he transported his entire court, mistresses and all, twice a year.

701
00:39:39,520 --> 00:39:42,720
To find out why Charles II favoured the gallop,

702
00:39:42,720 --> 00:39:47,280
I'm visiting the National Horseracing Museum.

703
00:39:47,280 --> 00:39:48,760
So what's this gallery here then?

704
00:39:48,760 --> 00:39:50,840
This is Gallery One. It's quite interesting.

705
00:39:50,840 --> 00:39:52,360
This was the subscription rooms.

706
00:39:52,360 --> 00:39:54,760
It was the only room women were allowed in the whole club.

707
00:39:54,760 --> 00:39:57,120
- Oh, is that right? 
- Yes. 
- And what are we looking at?

708
00:39:57,120 --> 00:39:58,920
Are we looking at this one?

709
00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:02,320
We're looking at what's really a scene in 1709, by James Ross,

710
00:40:02,320 --> 00:40:05,160
and shows, very clearly, what a race meeting would have

711
00:40:05,160 --> 00:40:08,040
appeared like at the end of the 17th and early 18th century.

712
00:40:08,040 --> 00:40:10,680
So, you've got to forget the idea of a modern racecourse with

713
00:40:10,680 --> 00:40:15,560
grandstands and the public all in a, sort of, pre-built structure.

714
00:40:15,560 --> 00:40:17,320
How did they see what was going on?

715
00:40:17,320 --> 00:40:19,640
Well, either on horseback themselves

716
00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:23,480
and they would have followed the race on horseback, or in their carriages.

717
00:40:23,480 --> 00:40:26,000
So, in a sense, a race meeting at this time would have

718
00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:28,960
looked like, almost a rabble of people in the countryside,

719
00:40:28,960 --> 00:40:32,400
very different from what you might think of as a modern race meeting.

720
00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:36,120
There does seem to be some drinking and carousing going on in the tents.

721
00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:39,720
Absolutely. And it certainly was a kind of excuse for people

722
00:40:39,720 --> 00:40:43,280
to have a good time, but it wasn't as frivolous as sometimes you can think.

723
00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:47,000
There's a real seriousness of purpose that sits behind it, which is

724
00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:49,160
the selective breeding of cavalry horses.

725
00:40:49,160 --> 00:40:52,840
So these are, in a sense, still a thick-set cavalry horse,

726
00:40:52,840 --> 00:40:56,800
not quite the thoroughbred that you get developing through the 18th

727
00:40:56,800 --> 00:40:58,120
and 19th centuries.

728
00:40:58,120 --> 00:41:01,840
So, are these horses heavier? Fatter? Chunkier?

729
00:41:01,840 --> 00:41:03,800
Much heavier, much chunkier.

730
00:41:03,800 --> 00:41:06,400
Remember, they've originated from having to carry

731
00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:09,680
a knight on horseback in full armour.

732
00:41:09,680 --> 00:41:12,800
In the 1660s, Charles II comes up to Newmarket to re-establish

733
00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:14,680
it as a base for racing.

734
00:41:14,680 --> 00:41:18,600
He founds, in 1665, the Newmarket Town Plate.

735
00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:22,720
That's a race for a prize of a 100 guineas presented by the King,

736
00:41:22,720 --> 00:41:26,640
a huge amount of money at the time, to give a real impetus

737
00:41:26,640 --> 00:41:29,480
to the development of good horse stock.

738
00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:31,040
And just to give you an idea,

739
00:41:31,040 --> 00:41:34,040
this is a four-mile marker here of an original

740
00:41:34,040 --> 00:41:35,400
eight-mile course.

741
00:41:35,400 --> 00:41:38,040
- So that's only half? 
- That's only half. 
- ..of one race. 
- Yes.

742
00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:42,200
- And that's four miles. 
- Yes. 
- Is that quite a lot longer than races today?

743
00:41:42,200 --> 00:41:44,680
Much. I mean the longest race we have in this country is

744
00:41:44,680 --> 00:41:47,120
the Grand National, which is just over four miles,

745
00:41:47,120 --> 00:41:50,920
and that's in one go, whereas these were multiple heat races.

746
00:41:50,920 --> 00:41:53,160
So, if that was over four miles, that would have

747
00:41:53,160 --> 00:41:54,840
galloped 16 miles in one day.

748
00:41:54,840 --> 00:41:56,720
These are real stamina animals.

749
00:41:56,720 --> 00:41:59,800
I'd always assumed that when Charles II was at Newmarket,

750
00:41:59,800 --> 00:42:02,360
he was messing around being the Merry Monarch.

751
00:42:02,360 --> 00:42:05,440
But, actually, you're saying that he was trying to revive

752
00:42:05,440 --> 00:42:07,160
- the English Cavalry. 
- Absolutely.

753
00:42:07,160 --> 00:42:09,680
There's a real seriousness of purpose, because it's very

754
00:42:09,680 --> 00:42:12,640
easy for us to imagine that it was inevitable that Charles II would

755
00:42:12,640 --> 00:42:16,080
keep his throne, but he felt that he had to defend it at any point.

756
00:42:16,080 --> 00:42:20,120
So what he's trying to do, is replace the vast amount of cavalry

757
00:42:20,120 --> 00:42:23,240
stock that's been lost during the English Civil Wars and really create

758
00:42:23,240 --> 00:42:26,640
the kit with which he can go to war and defend his throne if he needs to.

759
00:42:26,640 --> 00:42:29,960
- So, this is a kind of boot camp for the Army, really. 
- Completely, yes.

760
00:42:29,960 --> 00:42:31,840
No, absolutely.

761
00:42:31,840 --> 00:42:34,960
What fascinates me about Charles' passion for horse racing,

762
00:42:34,960 --> 00:42:40,120
is that his motives had a lot in common with jousting and the menage.

763
00:42:40,120 --> 00:42:44,480
Although each equestrian activity had very different horsemanship

764
00:42:44,480 --> 00:42:48,280
skills attached, all three were about spectacle

765
00:42:48,280 --> 00:42:53,080
and shared the same intent, training in the art of war.

766
00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:56,520
In the case of the Merry Monarch his dedication to racing certainly

767
00:42:56,520 --> 00:43:02,240
paid off. He died in 1685 of natural causes after a long

768
00:43:02,240 --> 00:43:04,120
and relatively peaceful reign.

769
00:43:05,160 --> 00:43:09,840
Under Charles' patronage, horse racing became the sport of Kings

770
00:43:09,840 --> 00:43:13,880
and enjoys equally enthusiastic royal support to this day,

771
00:43:13,880 --> 00:43:18,360
whereas the art of menage was almost completely swept under

772
00:43:18,360 --> 00:43:22,920
the royal red carpet by the end of the 17th century.

773
00:43:22,920 --> 00:43:26,080
For an old-school royalist, like Cavendish,

774
00:43:26,080 --> 00:43:27,600
it was a bitter loss.

775
00:43:27,600 --> 00:43:29,560
As he lamented in his book...

776
00:43:29,560 --> 00:43:32,680
"The science of menage has been so neglected

777
00:43:32,680 --> 00:43:36,720
"and discouraged in England, that young gentlemen are now obliged to

778
00:43:36,720 --> 00:43:40,680
"go to foreign nations for this part of their education."

779
00:43:42,880 --> 00:43:46,560
So, following in their footsteps and in need of a little education

780
00:43:46,560 --> 00:43:51,200
myself, I've come to Vienna, once the capital of the horse-loving

781
00:43:51,200 --> 00:43:55,000
Hapsbergs, one of the greatest royal dynasties of Europe.

782
00:43:55,000 --> 00:43:58,880
Because menage not only flourished here during Cavendish's lifetime,

783
00:43:58,880 --> 00:44:00,880
but still survives here today.

784
00:44:02,520 --> 00:44:06,720
Now, in Britain, so far we've only had two rulers called Charles,

785
00:44:06,720 --> 00:44:10,120
but in Austria, Charles' have been rather more successful.

786
00:44:10,120 --> 00:44:11,680
There were six of them.

787
00:44:11,680 --> 00:44:15,960
In the early 18th century, Emperor Charles VI decided to

788
00:44:15,960 --> 00:44:19,640
rebuild his palace complex in the city of Vienna.

789
00:44:19,640 --> 00:44:23,480
He put in all the usual ballrooms and state apartments

790
00:44:23,480 --> 00:44:27,640
and also an absolutely stupendous riding house.

791
00:44:30,200 --> 00:44:33,440
To this day, Charles' palatial riding house is home to the

792
00:44:33,440 --> 00:44:37,400
Spanish Riding School, one of the few surviving institutions

793
00:44:37,400 --> 00:44:39,960
dedicated to the art of classical menage.

794
00:44:42,720 --> 00:44:48,160
The spectacular riding house itself was completed in 1735,

795
00:44:48,160 --> 00:44:51,440
although the school was founded in the late 16th century,

796
00:44:51,440 --> 00:44:55,000
around the time that Cavendish and our Charles I were born.

797
00:45:00,680 --> 00:45:03,440
I've been invited to witness a morning training

798
00:45:03,440 --> 00:45:07,240
session, where the riders and their Lipizzaner horses practise

799
00:45:07,240 --> 00:45:10,320
every day in preparation for spectacular shows.

800
00:45:11,400 --> 00:45:15,360
Just the sort of thing that Cavendish would've done himself.

801
00:45:15,360 --> 00:45:20,760
CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS

802
00:45:44,520 --> 00:45:47,760
This is like being at the theatre, isn't it?

803
00:45:47,760 --> 00:45:50,400
- We're watching a wonderful show behind us. 
- It is. It is.

804
00:45:50,400 --> 00:45:53,120
And every day, hundreds of people come in to see the show

805
00:45:53,120 --> 00:45:54,680
- just like the theatre.
- Yes.

806
00:45:54,680 --> 00:45:57,080
They come to see the show, but they also come to see

807
00:45:57,080 --> 00:45:58,960
- the training session. 
- The training. 
- Yes.

808
00:45:58,960 --> 00:46:02,080
So we have... Every day we have the public here.

809
00:46:02,080 --> 00:46:04,080
Are all the horses here white?

810
00:46:04,080 --> 00:46:08,280
Well, most of the horses are white, but we always have one or two

811
00:46:08,280 --> 00:46:12,720
bay horses, brown horses, and that's considered luck for us, you know.

812
00:46:12,720 --> 00:46:15,920
There's a saying that as long as there is a bay horse

813
00:46:15,920 --> 00:46:19,000
here at the Spanish Riding School, that the Spanish Riding School

814
00:46:19,000 --> 00:46:23,360
is going to continue, and so far, it came true, I guess.

815
00:46:23,360 --> 00:46:28,720
- It's continued for 450 years. 
- 450 years. Yes, we celebrate this year.

816
00:46:28,720 --> 00:46:30,320
Why is that?

817
00:46:30,320 --> 00:46:34,800
Why has it always survived through wars and changes and politics?

818
00:46:34,800 --> 00:46:36,800
I think a big part of it was that the

819
00:46:36,800 --> 00:46:39,720
people are proud of the Spanish Riding School here in Vienna.

820
00:46:39,720 --> 00:46:42,760
Well, I think you need to look after your dark horse.

821
00:46:42,760 --> 00:46:44,760
- You don't want to lose him. 
- We will. We will.

822
00:46:44,760 --> 00:46:47,160
No, no, we'll make sure that we always have one.

823
00:46:47,160 --> 00:46:50,600
How do you become a rider here? Is it many years of training?

824
00:46:50,600 --> 00:46:53,720
The first part of the training is about four to five years.

825
00:46:53,720 --> 00:46:57,720
You learn on a trained horse, so the young student learns from the trained

826
00:46:57,720 --> 00:47:02,400
horse and then later on the trained rider teaches the young horse.

827
00:47:02,400 --> 00:47:04,800
That is about the system that we have here.

828
00:47:04,800 --> 00:47:07,280
So, is that eight years in total?

829
00:47:07,280 --> 00:47:11,080
- I would say around ten years is about the... 
- Ten years? Ten years? 
- Yes.

830
00:47:11,080 --> 00:47:14,760
Before you're ready to ride here. Fantastic.

831
00:47:14,760 --> 00:47:18,440
And the riders are training the horses for four or five hours

832
00:47:18,440 --> 00:47:20,440
every day themselves?

833
00:47:20,440 --> 00:47:25,120
Yes. Every rider has around seven horses to take care of and to train.

834
00:47:25,120 --> 00:47:27,400
That's a huge amount of discipline, isn't it?

835
00:47:27,400 --> 00:47:29,720
Every day, six days a week and riding

836
00:47:29,720 --> 00:47:32,080
for four hours a day on seven horses.

837
00:47:32,080 --> 00:47:34,240
- I would say even more than that. 
- More than that?

838
00:47:34,240 --> 00:47:35,920
Yeah. Five, five and a half hours.

839
00:47:35,920 --> 00:47:39,400
Five and a half hours a day, for six days a week, for ten years.

840
00:47:40,480 --> 00:47:44,840
Well, that is just your education, but then this continues

841
00:47:44,840 --> 00:47:46,320
until you retire.

842
00:47:46,320 --> 00:47:48,240
That's an enormous commitment, isn't it?

843
00:47:48,240 --> 00:47:51,520
Yeah, but it's a great... It's the best thing that you can do.

844
00:47:52,520 --> 00:47:55,920
Having watched the training, you won't be surprised to learn

845
00:47:55,920 --> 00:47:59,560
that my request to join in a live show was met

846
00:47:59,560 --> 00:48:02,440
with a categorical, "No!"

847
00:48:02,440 --> 00:48:05,200
And when you see one of the Spanish Riding School's

848
00:48:05,200 --> 00:48:07,480
performances, you'll understand why.

849
00:48:11,880 --> 00:48:16,880
Since these balletic moves haven't changed for 450 years, I think

850
00:48:16,880 --> 00:48:20,800
it shows why Cavendish gained such an extraordinary reputation

851
00:48:20,800 --> 00:48:23,400
when he performed the art in the 17th century.

852
00:48:28,200 --> 00:48:31,320
This theatre of classical horsemanship has spurred me

853
00:48:31,320 --> 00:48:35,160
on for my next lesson towards my own public performance.

854
00:48:39,760 --> 00:48:43,760
Now, it's taken 250 years, but the art of menage is actually having

855
00:48:43,760 --> 00:48:47,640
a bit of a renaissance through its related sport of dressage,

856
00:48:47,640 --> 00:48:51,840
in which the British, after all, are now Olympic champions.

857
00:48:51,840 --> 00:48:54,760
William Cavendish would be pleased to know, that finally,

858
00:48:54,760 --> 00:48:56,840
menage is coming home.

859
00:48:59,400 --> 00:49:03,640
Because menage was kept alive with such vigour on the Continent,

860
00:49:03,640 --> 00:49:08,040
horse ballet, or dressage, became a competitive sport at the turn

861
00:49:08,040 --> 00:49:12,400
of the 20th century and included in the 1912 Olympic Games.

862
00:49:15,280 --> 00:49:18,680
Over the years, we Brits have become rather good at it.

863
00:49:18,680 --> 00:49:22,200
Our former national dressage champion, Joyce Fearn,

864
00:49:22,200 --> 00:49:24,760
has agreed to give me a quick lesson.

865
00:49:24,760 --> 00:49:27,920
After all, it's only a few weeks before I've got to get my act

866
00:49:27,920 --> 00:49:31,280
together for my own public performance in Cavendish's

867
00:49:31,280 --> 00:49:32,360
riding house.

868
00:49:35,080 --> 00:49:37,760
- That's incredible, Joyce. 
- Ah, thank you.

869
00:49:37,760 --> 00:49:41,720
It looks like he's walking on the tips of his toes, like a little...

870
00:49:41,720 --> 00:49:44,600
- He's a little elegant person. 
- He's elegant, isn't he?

871
00:49:44,600 --> 00:49:47,320
Now what do you think you can teach... Well, what can Damien

872
00:49:47,320 --> 00:49:50,440
and you teach me to do in the way of dressage moves this morning?

873
00:49:50,440 --> 00:49:53,400
- Well, we'll get you on the pony and see what you can do. 
- OK.

874
00:49:53,400 --> 00:49:56,040
- I don't know how much riding you've done. 
- Very little.

875
00:49:56,040 --> 00:49:59,200
Well, I hope I can teach you how to move the horse in the way

876
00:49:59,200 --> 00:50:02,120
that's not necessarily use your leg and go faster,

877
00:50:02,120 --> 00:50:06,520
but more a way of move your leg and feel the response from his body

878
00:50:06,520 --> 00:50:10,000
and how you can move him sideways and backwards

879
00:50:10,000 --> 00:50:12,880
and forwards without him thinking your leg aid means run away.

880
00:50:12,880 --> 00:50:15,000
So we'll see what we can do with that.

881
00:50:15,000 --> 00:50:17,520
This does feel like I'm about to sit an exam,

882
00:50:17,520 --> 00:50:20,560
knowing that you can get points for this, points for that,

883
00:50:20,560 --> 00:50:21,760
points for the other.

884
00:50:21,760 --> 00:50:23,720
It's not about the thrill of the audience,

885
00:50:23,720 --> 00:50:26,600
- it's all about hitting the mark. 
- Precision, yes.

886
00:50:26,600 --> 00:50:29,160
Fingers, and draw your elbows back slightly.

887
00:50:29,160 --> 00:50:31,920
Lean a little bit forward and put your legs back on him

888
00:50:31,920 --> 00:50:34,440
and see what effect that has.

889
00:50:34,440 --> 00:50:37,120
- Ooh, is he going backwards? 
- Yeah. 
- LUCY LAUGHS

890
00:50:37,120 --> 00:50:39,400
- You just told him to. 
- That's fantastic.

891
00:50:39,400 --> 00:50:42,160
- He's so well trained, I can put him into reverse. 
- Yes.

892
00:50:42,160 --> 00:50:45,160
So let's go. You give him a little squeeze.

893
00:50:45,160 --> 00:50:47,920
- And, if that doesn't work, he needs a bigger one. 
- Walk on, please.

894
00:50:47,920 --> 00:50:50,520
Yes, because he's used to being told what to do. There you go.

895
00:50:50,520 --> 00:50:52,280
Go faster, go sideways.

896
00:50:52,280 --> 00:50:54,640
You're on your own now, Lucy.

897
00:50:54,640 --> 00:50:59,400
Push him over. Well done. Lead with your right rein and over you go.

898
00:50:59,400 --> 00:51:01,000
Little bit of left leg.

899
00:51:01,000 --> 00:51:04,040
- Stop. 
- And then think of reining back.

900
00:51:08,920 --> 00:51:11,280
- Backwards. 
- It's all right.

901
00:51:11,280 --> 00:51:14,000
- Backwards. 
- Oh, turn on the forehand.

902
00:51:14,000 --> 00:51:16,880
Oh, you can't go backwards now, cos you're into the wall.

903
00:51:16,880 --> 00:51:19,280
Could you put him towards the wall again, please, Lucy?

904
00:51:19,280 --> 00:51:21,040
And now we will halt.

905
00:51:23,240 --> 00:51:27,360
And I will shorten the reins, and I will go back.

906
00:51:27,360 --> 00:51:28,440
Back.

907
00:51:28,440 --> 00:51:29,520
Back?

908
00:51:30,520 --> 00:51:31,760
Back!

909
00:51:31,760 --> 00:51:32,840
LUCY GASPS

910
00:51:32,840 --> 00:51:36,320
He's done it! He's done it! He's done it!

911
00:51:36,320 --> 00:51:38,800
And stop. And...

912
00:51:39,880 --> 00:51:41,680
..forwards, please.

913
00:51:41,680 --> 00:51:44,160
Oh, that didn't work!

914
00:51:44,160 --> 00:51:47,320
- Put your legs forward. 
- Forwards, please. Come on.

915
00:51:49,080 --> 00:51:51,120
Giddy-up. Yes, that's it.

916
00:51:51,120 --> 00:51:52,440
And we're off.

917
00:51:52,440 --> 00:51:54,800
Oh, that's much better. Well done, you.

918
00:51:54,800 --> 00:51:57,920
Olympic Games for you next, I think.

919
00:51:57,920 --> 00:51:59,640
- How does that feel? 
- Lovely.

920
00:51:59,640 --> 00:52:01,760
Oh, you can have an eight for that one.

921
00:52:01,760 --> 00:52:03,520
No way! An eight?!

922
00:52:03,520 --> 00:52:05,120
Yeah, cos it doesn't look as though

923
00:52:05,120 --> 00:52:06,960
it's being done by accident this time.

924
00:52:06,960 --> 00:52:09,040
- LUCY LAUGHS 
- Very good, well done.

925
00:52:09,040 --> 00:52:11,520
"It doesn't look as if it's being done by accident."

926
00:52:11,520 --> 00:52:13,120
THEY LAUGH

927
00:52:14,440 --> 00:52:17,320
Right, let's see what the dressage champion Joyce

928
00:52:17,320 --> 00:52:20,880
has got to say about my riding. This is my scoresheet.

929
00:52:20,880 --> 00:52:24,800
Collected walk, half pass to the right. Didn't do that.

930
00:52:24,800 --> 00:52:26,120
Ooh!

931
00:52:26,120 --> 00:52:30,200
She's given me a good mark for paces, freedom and regularity.

932
00:52:30,200 --> 00:52:32,840
But I've done less well on submission.

933
00:52:32,840 --> 00:52:35,240
I haven't been very submissive this morning.

934
00:52:35,240 --> 00:52:40,280
And she says here, "Must continue with the dressage training."

935
00:52:40,280 --> 00:52:42,400
Hmm. So I'm not a champion yet.

936
00:52:43,680 --> 00:52:46,880
Competitive dressage has renewed that ancient link

937
00:52:46,880 --> 00:52:49,160
between manege and royalty.

938
00:52:49,160 --> 00:52:52,480
Think of both Princess Anne and Zara Phillips.

939
00:52:52,480 --> 00:52:54,920
I've also discovered that the skills of manege

940
00:52:54,920 --> 00:52:58,720
are used in another, very regal spectacle of horsemanship

941
00:52:58,720 --> 00:53:02,520
on a visit to the barracks at the Royal Horse Artillery.

942
00:53:04,000 --> 00:53:05,400
Thank you.

943
00:53:17,920 --> 00:53:20,120
This is fantastic fun, they come like that.

944
00:53:20,120 --> 00:53:21,480
Yeah, the split.

945
00:53:21,480 --> 00:53:23,800
Not without its perils, I have to say.

946
00:53:27,200 --> 00:53:32,720
The King's Troop was set up in 1946 to commemorate the tactics

947
00:53:32,720 --> 00:53:36,120
used by the Royal Artillery in the battlefield.

948
00:53:36,120 --> 00:53:39,400
Their ceremonial displays at royal and state functions,

949
00:53:39,400 --> 00:53:42,480
such as the Queen's birthday, keep alive the skills

950
00:53:42,480 --> 00:53:45,680
used by the artillery before mechanisation,

951
00:53:45,680 --> 00:53:49,200
when they charged into position and fired their guns

952
00:53:49,200 --> 00:53:52,640
before repositioning their horses for the next attack.

953
00:53:52,640 --> 00:53:55,680
And what is fascinating is that the original training

954
00:53:55,680 --> 00:53:59,080
at the Royal Horse Artillery can be traced directly back

955
00:53:59,080 --> 00:54:02,360
to manege and the Spanish Riding School.

956
00:54:02,360 --> 00:54:06,240
- So is this an actual gun from the First World War? 
- It is, yeah.

957
00:54:06,240 --> 00:54:10,040
All of our guns were built just before the First World War,

958
00:54:10,040 --> 00:54:12,720
and most likely all of them saw action in the First World War.

959
00:54:12,720 --> 00:54:15,520
- And were they pulled into position by the horses? 
- Yes, yeah.

960
00:54:15,520 --> 00:54:19,320
These are... The quickfire 13lb gun was a horse artillery gun,

961
00:54:19,320 --> 00:54:21,040
so, yes, it was pulled in by horses.

962
00:54:21,040 --> 00:54:24,560
I'm quite intrigued by the links between this modern,

963
00:54:24,560 --> 00:54:27,880
very technical art of horsemanship and the art of manege.

964
00:54:27,880 --> 00:54:32,240
When horse artillery was first brought into the British Army,

965
00:54:32,240 --> 00:54:35,520
the Duke of Richmond got in a chap called Captain Quist,

966
00:54:35,520 --> 00:54:39,080
who had the knowledge from the Continent of horse artillery

967
00:54:39,080 --> 00:54:40,600
and was able to teach them.

968
00:54:40,600 --> 00:54:43,000
So this is Captain Quist. He actually trained

969
00:54:43,000 --> 00:54:45,880
at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna before he came over to us.

970
00:54:45,880 --> 00:54:48,720
Well, I recognise these pillars that are used in the art of manege

971
00:54:48,720 --> 00:54:51,160
- and that's essentially what he's doing. 
- Mm, yes.

972
00:54:51,160 --> 00:54:55,160
What could he offer as an expert in manege to the British Army?

973
00:54:55,160 --> 00:54:57,280
The artillery was slow before he came in,

974
00:54:57,280 --> 00:55:00,240
and that was because most of the gunners who actually manned the guns

975
00:55:00,240 --> 00:55:03,560
and fired them walked next to the artillery rather than riding.

976
00:55:03,560 --> 00:55:07,960
The skills he was able to bring, and the connection with the horse

977
00:55:07,960 --> 00:55:10,080
that he was able to teach the soldiers

978
00:55:10,080 --> 00:55:12,800
meant that they could ride alongside the guns

979
00:55:12,800 --> 00:55:15,920
and they'd be a lot faster and a lot more manoeuvrable on the battlefield.

980
00:55:15,920 --> 00:55:18,040
So you're saying that the skills of the manege -

981
00:55:18,040 --> 00:55:19,720
which is not so much about going fast

982
00:55:19,720 --> 00:55:22,280
but it's about changing direction very quickly, isn't it? -

983
00:55:22,280 --> 00:55:23,480
that would have been useful

984
00:55:23,480 --> 00:55:25,240
in pulling these big, shiny guns around?

985
00:55:25,240 --> 00:55:27,560
Yes. Turning on a battlefield is very important.

986
00:55:27,560 --> 00:55:30,360
If you go in a straight line very fast in the wrong direction,

987
00:55:30,360 --> 00:55:32,400
you're not going to be of any help to anyone.

988
00:55:32,400 --> 00:55:35,120
So, yes, it is being able to put yourself in the right position,

989
00:55:35,120 --> 00:55:37,880
and that involves using manoeuvrability and turning.

990
00:55:48,480 --> 00:55:51,120
This is the gravestone of a legendary member

991
00:55:51,120 --> 00:55:53,160
of the Royal Horse Artillery.

992
00:55:53,160 --> 00:55:58,840
It reads, "Underneath here lies an old horse called Wonder,

993
00:55:58,840 --> 00:56:02,320
"who had lived to the extraordinary age of 40 years."

994
00:56:02,320 --> 00:56:07,280
And the legendary Wonder belonged to Captain Quist himself,

995
00:56:07,280 --> 00:56:10,760
who lived to the extraordinary age of 91.

996
00:56:10,760 --> 00:56:12,840
And I like to think of Captain Quist

997
00:56:12,840 --> 00:56:16,600
and his "Wonder-horse" coming from the circus-like atmosphere

998
00:56:16,600 --> 00:56:20,000
of the Spanish Riding School and teaching their skills

999
00:56:20,000 --> 00:56:23,120
to the very serious officers of the British Army,

1000
00:56:23,120 --> 00:56:26,960
who would use them in the very serious arena of the battlefield.

1001
00:56:26,960 --> 00:56:30,880
And it strikes me that all of these great horseman of the past -

1002
00:56:30,880 --> 00:56:34,360
Captain Quist, William Cavendish, even Henry VIII -

1003
00:56:34,360 --> 00:56:36,800
have something in common.

1004
00:56:36,800 --> 00:56:41,040
Their control of the horse gives them control of themselves,

1005
00:56:41,040 --> 00:56:43,680
which leads to control over other people

1006
00:56:43,680 --> 00:56:48,280
and, in the case of a king or queen, that stands for control of a nation.

1007
00:56:54,000 --> 00:56:57,080
So, finally, it's time to put my training to the test

1008
00:56:57,080 --> 00:56:59,800
and to perform for the paying public.

1009
00:56:59,800 --> 00:57:02,360
Watch out, everybody - I'm on the hoof.

1010
00:57:06,600 --> 00:57:08,120
- Now or never. 
- HOOVES STOMP

1011
00:57:08,120 --> 00:57:11,320
Look, he's pawing the ground, he's ready to go.

1012
00:57:11,320 --> 00:57:13,720
I think he's readier than I am!

1013
00:57:14,880 --> 00:57:17,240
Oh, oh, oh, oh.

1014
00:57:18,440 --> 00:57:20,040
Oh! And we're off!

1015
00:58:13,240 --> 00:58:14,840
I'd like to get off now!

1016
00:58:14,840 --> 00:58:16,840
LAUGHTER

1017
00:58:16,840 --> 00:58:19,520
So...how did I do, Ben?

1018
00:58:19,520 --> 00:58:22,680
- It was good. 
- What's the verdict? 
- Well done.

1019
00:58:22,680 --> 00:58:24,400
Was that the rear of the year?

1020
00:58:24,400 --> 00:58:26,680
I think that was definitely your rear of the year.

1021
00:58:26,680 --> 00:58:28,800
I think it was the rear of the century!

1022
00:58:28,800 --> 00:58:30,480
SHE LAUGHS

1023
00:58:30,480 --> 00:58:32,720
Well, thanks, Armando.