exercise nor anie horse so disordered but by exercising him according to his qualitie and abilitie of strength thou shalt eastly recouer him yea I doe assure thée I haue vsed more diligence and taken greater paines in searching out the nature and disposition of euerie horse according vnto the diuersitie qualitie or bréede and howe hée might with most ease and best force bring anie horse to do his lessons in good order and then in searching what hee shoulde doe for in my iudgement it is but a small matter to knowe what should be done but it is a great matter to knowe howe it shoulde be done so as thereby thou in commaunding obserue this rule to séeke a great deale more howe to commaund without offence which shal be when thou in commaunding the wise and expert shalt intreate them as friends and not commaund them as slaues and with the ignorant rude sort thou must intreate them as thou wouldest do children or fooles whome thou wouldest be loath to offend not so much for the feare of that they may doe against thée but in respect of the shame and discredit that may happen vnto thée by abuse where if thou haddest the true vse thou shouldest not onelie kéepe them from discontentment but also thou thy selfe shouldest thereby be by them well serued yea I haue béene long of the opinion that he is farre vnworthie the credite to commaund the hath not either by reason or experience or else by learning the knowledge how to imploy the most vilest person to some profite yea and that with the least â—ffence to him that is possible and to the other sort that are so stubborne that you must be forced to vse a bridle to maister them withall yet let it be so gentle that after they yéeld for that there is no other remedie that then they may perfectly knowe that the cause why thou hast so ouermaistred them is not of malice but that they haue forced thee through the qualitie of their fault and thou art rather sorie for their correction than that thou doest it to take anie pleasure or delight to exercise this crueltie If thou canst well ponder and consider these things thou shalt vse so great diligeÌ„ce or to speak more plainly no such lightnesse hastinesse and brainsick bedlemnesse as thou maiest sée a number of madmen monsters diuels or tormeÌ„tors of horses vse in teaching their horses going about to bring them to some order who are vtterly blinde or destitute of that most noble rule I meane the true art of gouernment without the which though a number of ignorant men chance to make some horses of good disposition readie inough yet when they come to trauell we finde them marred by disordinate handling of them and vnreasonable vsage but as touching the horses that are of disposition stubborne by nature where they make one they marre fiue yea I doe certainely beléeue that all those that are ignorant in the nature and disposition of euerie horse that they shal presume to teach are but in sort a kinde of presumptuous meÌ„ for in this knowledge aboue al other doth the whole ground of the art of Riding consist I confesse I haue béene somewhat tedious But oh that thou diddest know what griefe it is to me that I am not able here fulliâ— to make thée vnderstand my experience and opinion in this matter for lack of learning to set downe the thing in words orderly which I haue so perfectly attained to by continuall vse practise But to our purpose by that that I haue said I would haue said the thou shalt ride al those horses that are weake either for lack of age exercise or through euil handling in rings made vpon plaine and firme ground that thou therein vse such moderate trauell that thy horse may daily increase his coâ—rage and strength fully as much as he profits in learning of his le 〈…〉 ns And as touching thy secoÌ„d demaund why I ride in a pit or vpon a hils side that haue I always found to be most excellent for any horse that is of great strength courage and also for such horses as are stubborne of hard mouth vnniâ—ible of foote and that wil leane too much on one â—ide in their turning for the ring made in a pit or vpoÌ„ a hils â—â—de is a thousand times better to make your horse go vpright in his turning to be niâ—ble of â—nto than to spur theÌ„ whip them heare so hard a hand vpon them that many times they do more harme to the horses mouth in one houre than they are able to recouer in one whole yere Kingdon Séeing this ring made in a pit or vpon a hilles side is so good to reforme anie horse that will leane on the one side in turning or that is verie vnnimble of foote I would desire you to shewe me for my better vnderstanding the figure or forme not onlie of this ring but also of all other rings and riding places néedefull to be vsed to make a readie horse with the largenesse fashion and vpon what ground is best Clifford The more I teach thée the more vnskilful I thinke thou art But bicause thou shalt not haue any excuse of ignorance in this art of riding I will shewe thée the true figure largeues that is required in euerie riding place euen from the first to the last saue one which is already most liuely expressed in the chapter of mannaging thy horse And first of the rings in the plaine ground méete to be vsed for a young horse at his first entring into his lessons thou shalt make them in forme as followeth as touching their largenes let one of them be 50. pases about at the least according as this figure doth most plainly shew thee for thou shalt find thy entring place into the end of thy mannaging furrow marked with the letter A and the place where thou shalt stop thy horse marked with the letter B in the self same furrow where thou shalt stop thy horse when thou shalt haue made an end of thy ring turnes And the right ring is marked with the letter C and the left ring with the letter D here most plainly to be séen the place where thou shalt enter into the right ring marked with this letter E where thou shalt depart the same ring to stop thy horse with this letter F WheÌ„ he shal haue done this lessoÌ„ of treding the large ring Kingdon But shall I not turne my horse in this managing furrow when I haue stopped him Clifford No thou shalt neuer turne thy horse in anie furrow for that is the onelie waie to straine thy horses back and loines to the vtter vndoing and marring of him and also if the Rider lacke knowledge and that he be not verie patient he may quicklie make his horse so restie that he will neither turne nor yet go forward and if thou wert not verie forgetfull or else too too dull in vnderstanding
THE Schoole of Horsmanship Wherein is discouered vvhat skill and knowledge is required in a good Horseman practised by perfect experience And also how to reforme anie restie horse of what nature and disposition so euer Briefely touching the knowledge of the Breeder Sadler Smith and the Horseleach WITH A STRANGE AND rare inuention how to make a new kinde of racke and how to teach a Horse to lie vpon his bellie vntill the Rider take his backe By Christ Clifford Gent. ¶ Imprinted at London for Thomas Cadman and are to be solde at his shop in Paules Churchyard at the signe of the Bible 1585. TO THE RIGHT Worshipfull Sir Philip Sidney Knight SIR I haue written of late not by reading but on mine owne experience a conference and discourse about the training of horses and curing of their diseases wherin albeit I dare professe to teach a readier better waie in training horse for seruice trauaile than hath bene either yet set downe of anie or put in practise by the delicate professors of this Art yet my intention was not further then to serue the priuate vse of my priuate friends till at the last I offered it to the ceÌ„sure of a certain honorable Gentleman whose singular good iudgement great experience in this matter I haue euer esteemed aboue al others who liked so wel of this my labour that he not onlie thought good it should be printed for the common vse and profit of our Country but also vouchsaft by setting of his hand to testifie the same Whervpon I haue consented to the printing of it so haue made it come to light vnder the good protection and countenance of your W. both because of your great knowledge and experience in Horsemanshippe and in all other vertues whereby ye draw to you the harts of euerie one that knowes you and also for your speciall curtesie shewed vnto me therfore I haue thus far presumed til occasioÌ„ of further seruice may occur to present you with other flowers or fruits of my experience which is the onely compas rule and square of this discourse Humbile requesting that yee excuse or pardon the homelie stile and tenor of this conference either because that true experieÌ„ce do need no ornament of words or other waies because I am vnlettered haue not Rethoricke at commaundement Which if it please you to accept after the ordinarie of your countenance I meane to enter further in other new and rare Ingins for warre all of my owne inuention and experience And thus I end beseeching God to blesse your life with all increase of Honour Your most humble to commaund Christopher Clifford To the Reader GEntle Reader thou shalt find many things in this worke placed out of order for that I haue lacked time and am vnlettered neither haue bene able to kéepe anie seruant whom I might commaund to write when I would which hath bene the cause that I haue left out many notable things in this worke which thou shalt haue héereafter God sparing me life abilitie therevnto Perhappes some curious riders may finde fault with my homelie kinde of teaching for the I set not down how they shuld teach their horses to coruet nor how to torment theÌ„ vainlie with a chain or cauisoÌ„ which is one of the principal causes that they make their horses restie runawaies and hard mouthed but my intent is not to teach anie of them which make their horses more fit to daunce on a carpet then for anie other kinde of seruice but onelie to teach those whose noble mindes delights in armes and to haue their horses made for seruice and trauaile which is the thing wherevnto God hath ordained that beast Clifford take héede what you doe will you speake against the chaine and coruetting of horses Mée thinke that shewes in you small skill in riding sith they are both vsed throughout all Christendome I know that this shall be the obiection of those that either knowes not the difference betwéen the snaffle the chaine or else the will know it for no other cause but that they wil after an obstinate manner maintaine it to be good because they would differ from others in order of riding and the reason why it is naught is that being once buckled to the horses head as they vsuallie doe or drawne close it doeth grieue the horse continuallie as â—â—ll when he doth well as when he doth erre in such 〈◊〉 that the horse not vnderstanding the cause of his néedlesse griefe falleth into a number of disorders And the first reason why it is naught to teach a horse to coruet is because it doth greatlie weaken his backe and loines The second it is a most cruell torment to a man in armes for that a number of iâ—des being giuen to coruet by nature vsed therevnto will manie times fall a coruetting when his rider woulde not haue him and the third and last reason why it is naught is for that when you would encounter your enimie at hand strokes with your sword these mistaught iâ—des wil fall a dancing which is a thing verie dangerous in fighting with one horse against another for the he neuer standeth surelie and therfore is in perill to be throwen downe or else to giue the riders backe to the enimie which is no lesse daunger than his life is worth but gentle Reader I haue not spoken this either of enuie or mallice against anie perticular person for I protest before God and the world that I haue euer bene of that opinion that hée is vnworthie of credit either in ar 〈…〉 or common wealth that is not so voide of enuie and mallice that he shal take a thousand times more delight in pardoning of his enimies than to be reuenged of them and for proofe héereof I doe not onelie giue frée leaue to all you to amend what so euer you find amiâ—â— in my worke without anie respect of me but onelie in respect to profit this our Countrie also that you do reproue me either by your gentle admotions or by your letters of all such thinges as you shall finde by your owne experience to be amisse and I will assure you that I shal receiue it thankfully at your hands Thus leauing to trouble thée anie longer gentle â—â—â—der vntill better opportunitie he offered mée to accomplish my promise aboue said I bid thée most hartely farewell C. Clifford Sir Iohn Tracie Knight in commendation of this Booke IF Xenophon deserude immortall fame Or Grysons glorie from earth to skie did reach If Carociolus gainde a worthie princely name Whose Bookes the Art of Horsemanship doe teach Then Cliffords praise what pen or tongue can tell Whose paines herein their works doth farre excell For who delight in gallant steeds doth take To gallop them or how coruet they must Or he that seekes the fiercest colt to make In brauest sort to stop and manage iust By this thy Booke shall gaine his whole intent Adornde with Art and
shal it be tolerable to draw thy left rain shorter through thy hand also the raines of thy bit so short the thou giue him no libertie to cast vp his head but thou must vse such discretion therin that thou staiâ— thy horse more vpon thy cauison then vpon thy bit hauing in this sort taken a due measure of thy raines thou maist vpon anie occasion offered by thy horse correct him by plucking thy right raine a little slaking it againe so often as thou shalt thinke néedfull And as touching thy demaund if the cauison be good I answere that it is excellent good if it be in his handes the vnderstandeth the true vse thereof but otherwise it is most vile By this that I haue sayd I would saie that thou shouldest staie thy horse vpon thy cauison altogether and notwithstanding thou must holde the raines of thy bit so short that thou giue him no libertie to cast vp or ducke downe his head Kingdon What meane you by this occasion offered and by plucking your raines a little and then to let them goe I sée no reason why I should not hold my right raine as hard as the left Clifford As touching the first demaund I answere that occasion is offered at anie such time as your horse will not goe backe nor kéep his ground but will presse forward when you would haue him stand still or when in his trotting or galloping he will go farther then you would haue him or that when you stoppe him he will force too much vpon your hand and also occasion is offered when he will not turne on your right or left hand in such sort as you would haue him But you must note the when he will not turne on your left hand that you draw the raine on that side a good deale straighter then the raines of your bridle for feare least that when you woulde straine your rains you force him too much with your right raines of the bit which is a most notable error and yet verie little considered of a number of vnskilfull men that doe not perceiue how that when they would bring their horse about on the left hand with the raine of their cauison by pulling their hand on that side of his manâ— they straine the right raine of the bit so as the horse cannot turne with his head but begins to goe backe to reare an end or to fall into one disorder or other and the rider not vnderstanding the cause doth fall to rating correcting his horse so long til he brings him home with such bloudy sides his mouth so brokeÌ„ his nose so mangled as would moue anie man of reason to pittie to sée that most noble beast of all other most commodious for the case of man to be misused by him that hath so much reason as to ouer master him but lackes that grace of temperance how to vse him thereby doth most shamefullie abuse him Thus much as touching your first demand and to your second I answere that you must hold your raines both a like straight saue when you turne your horse short then it shall be tollerable to holde your contrarie raine so short that you giue him no libertie to turne with his head that you drawe the other so much that he may vnderstand that you would haue him turne on that side But to the purpose I meane by pulling your hand or letting it goe that you should checke your horse vpon his nose wheÌ„ by temperate carrying of your hand you cannot rule him But in this aboue al other things you must vse great temperaunce which if you doe it is excellent good Also you must haue a speciall care when you holde your contrarie raine that you giue the horse so much libertie therewith that he may turne for by holding it too straight you shall vtterlie disorder him And furthermore as touching the right raine of your bridle when you turne on the left hand you may helpe him to turne as well with the bit as with the cauison by putting your forefinger of the right hande ouer the right raine of your bit and drawing it therewith two or thrée inches longer then the other raine which you must holde fast with the other raine of your cauison without opening of either of your handes and when you will turne on your right hand you may let the right raine of your cauison go and take holde of your raines aboue your left hand where you shall drawe your right raine some thing shorter then your left without opening your bridle hand in which instant you must holde your right raine stiffe till you haue drawen it some thing shorter then the left and then close your hand fast and take hold on the right raine of your cauison and the end of it also wherewith you maye drawe your contrarie raine so short as you shall thinke good thus turning on your right hande you may drawe the right raine of your cauison so much as shall bée néedfull to cause your horse to come about so often as you shall thinke méete but sée that you doe it verie gentlie Kingdon You haue héere vsed one tearme that I vnderstand not and that is when you saie I shall not checke my horse in the mouth with his bit that on the other side you saie I may checke him with the cauison when anie such occasion is offered as hath bene aboue by you recited therfore I praie you teach me what you meane therby Clifford By checking with the bit I meane that you should neâ—er plucke your hand sodainly but rather in all your doings draw it softly leasurely as is possible so that you may make your horse therby do your will and presentlie therevpon sée that 〈◊〉 slake it a little to the end that he may finde ease when he doth well which is the best meane to maintainâ— him in well dooing and by checking him with the Cauison I meane that you shoulde plucke your right raine in such sorte as you would plucke your friend by the cloake lap whom you are loth to offend at such time as you would speak with him And also you must note by the waie that at such time as you would thus checks your horse with your right raine you must holde the left raine so short the you cannot pluck your horses head aside if it chance at anie time that you finde it néedfull to checke your horse first with the one raine and then with the other you must take great héede that you let the raines of your bit go of such length that you checks him not with his bit in anie case and take great care that you checke your horse in this sort so many times as shall bée néedfull to make him vnderstand your minde and when he will yéeld in such sort as you would haue him then let your hand goe and torment him no more then you are forced of necessitie Kingdon You haue taught me
his haie well and wet it in faire water and let him not eat anie prouender without fenegréeke therein but if at the xv daies end his cough amend nothing at all then it shall be good to giue him the foresaid medicine againe and to diet him as before xv daies I haue neuer dressed my horse with this medicine but the he hath ben cured perfectlie yet would I not wish you to be too busie in medicining your horse either with this or anie other till such time as you find the giuing him grasse to eate fenegréeke in his prouender reasonable exercise which is the most excelleÌ„st medicine the euer I found to heale my horse of all griefes coÌ„ming of colde is verie good to preserue him froÌ„ al other sicknesse if you vse him with good diet cleane féeding as is before taught will not auaile Of the fretized broken and rotten lungs I Haue neuer séene anie of those horses cured yet I thought good héere to declare mine owne experience héerein for the I haue by the space of thirtie yéeres and more sought with great diligence the causes of any sicknesse or griefe also the signes how to know it as well as how to cure the same for in my iudgement there is no disease perfectly knowen neither is it possible to cure it vnles that cause thereof be first found out for otherwise in séeking to cure your horse of his disease you maye giue him such medicines exercise diet as shall not decrease his griefe but rather increase the same The cause of this disease wtout al doubt coÌ„meth of extreme gallopping sodaine running or leping or by some other straine It may come also by the corruption of the aire the signes to know it be these according to mine own experience which I first obserued in a horse of M. Coles in Somerset shéere which horse as they said had the murning of the chyne a long time when I came to sée the horse which ran at the nose with filthy stinking water I iudged him to haue the said murning of the chine medicined him therfore with a drench the I had learned for the purpose but after that he had receiued his drench he neuer eate or drunke anie more â—ut did pant blow continually for the space of 3. daies then being dead I cut him vp found the one quarter of his lungs rotten a great part therof consumed After which time I held it for a generall rule not to drench anie horse the long time had had the murning of the chine or that continuallie had a stinking breath but onelie to giue them Licorise beaten into pouder and Annise séedes whole in his prouender giue him grasse or wet haie to eate and to purge his head often with frankensence and sometimes with Euforbium ordered in such sort as is before taught in the Chapter of the colde of the head but this is to be noted by the waie that this horse did cough alwaies hollowlie and but seldome I had experience also in another of those horses of maister Gregorie Prices at Hereford which horse was ouer-ridden by a man of his and afterward hauing a continual cough did somtime runne at his nose which was iudged to be nothing else but a colde taken by the foresaid ouer gallopping but he being drenched to heale him of his foresaid colde he neuer ceasing panting and blowing till he died and I perceiued his breath to stinke caused him to be cut vp found his lungs rotten as in the other horse In a third horse also I haue had experience at M. Rothero Gwins in Carmarthen shéere a gentleman of the Earle of Essex I béeing then come out of Ireland lying at his house one of his sonnes chaunced to haue a stoned nagge verie sicke and when I looked on him I iudged him to haue the yellowes for that both his eies the inside of his lips and vnder his tongue was all dyed yellow but as soone as I smelled to his breath felt it stinke I tolde him if he gaue him anie medicine hée would die but he requested the the more instantlie to shew him what medicine were best for the yellowes for quoth he I had rather haue him die vppon a medicine then vpon his sicknesse without anie triall of medicine whervpon I taught him to giue his nagge CuÌ„min and hunnie in such sort as you may reade in the Chapter of the Yellowes but he neuer dranke anie more and the second daie of his sicknesse all the inside of his tongue lips became of the colour of a péece of tanned leather or drie oaken leaues and all the white of his eies and inside of his eie lids looked all verie redde and his breath did stinke most horriblie and the horse being dead I cut him vp and found almost one halfe of his lungs rotten but you must note by the waie that this horse and master Gregorie Prices both tooke their griefes with extream sodain galopping them the one in déep and mirie waies and the other vpon high mountaines as I dyd learne most certainlie and the first liued halfe a yere after his iourney the other but two moneths all which time it was easie to perceiue that they had taken theyr bane for the they neuer prospered after I haue also séene a soreld courser of sir Thomas Scots in Kent that was iudged to haue broken lungs for that he did cough verie often with great paine and would also grone in his coughing and it would séeme to a man that he had some thing in his throate and also he would voide white sparkes of matter as big as a great pins head and vnder his left eiâ— his head did shrinke in in such sort that you might perceiue by the said setling and shrinking in of his head vnder his eie that his eie did swell out ouer the said shrinking but this horse liued as I doe remember aboue foure yeares after that his griefe was perceiued this horse died of a swelling in the cods and afterward I cut him vp and his lungs were so faire sound as euer I saw anie horse his liuer was also very sound but the grief of the horse was for that the caule of fat the is vpon the mawe was growen fast to the ribs of the horse on the right side for it was growen verie thicke hard also it fastned it self at one end of the midrife or that thin partition that parteth the bellie of the horse froÌ„ his hart with the foresaid fat or spunges substance by meanes whereof the horses mawe was alwaies tied to the horses sids so that I haue euer held it for a generall rule that that horse that hath a stinking breath hath alwaies some impostume or other incurable rotten disease in his lungs and that he that groneth in his coughing and voideth matter at the mouth hath either his lungs liuer cawle or stomacke so tied that they cannot haue their