Italy – A story of a riding Amazon, a dip in history

The Amazon’s riding style made its appearance in Italy at the beginning of the 14th century at the Court of Mantua, during the sumptuous wedding for the marriage of Ludovico I Gonzaga to Caterina Malatesta. The first saddles (sambue), were an adaptation of the pack saddle on which it had been screwed, a padded seat from which a footrest hung and people could sit sideways parallel to the horse’s back, a posture absolutely unsuitable for gaits other than the hand step. . The sambue, uncomfortable and unsafe, was used only in parades , while in horse hunting the “cavaliera” mounted exactly like men. The evolution begins in the sixteenth century at the Court of France with Caterina de ‘Medici, who, to counter the power of her husband’s lover, a large and shameless “cavaliera” astride, had the sambue modified, adding a top right knob to the support and a hump in the center of the seat that allowed a more vertical and safer position and added an additional support, a horn, which allowed her not to slide to the left, replacing the footrest with a stirrup-slipper. A little bit at a time the position straightened up, the right leg of the “cavaliera” found itself turned in the axis of the neckline, the shoulders perpendicular to the column of the horse, thus confirming the independence gained with the Renaissance, which had allowed the woman to assume, even on horseback, social and political roles reserved only for men. It is to François de Garsault , captain of the Haras of France, that we owe the introduction of the second horn to the right of the first, thanks to which it allowed a much better balance. The new saddle made it possible to keep the right leg of the “cavaliera” between the two horns, while the left leg remained resting on a traditional stirrup. The introduction in 1830 of the “jumping horn”, the current mobile horn, attributed to Jules Charles Pellier and codified in the “gospel” of the Amazon’s riding style, allowed the definitive support of the left leg. Thanks to Pellier, the Amazon’s riding style was not just a “fashion”, but a fascinating spectacle of visual magic. It influenced the Anglo-Saxon countries and, through them, spread to the rest of the world. Discover now all our trips, tours, holidays and horse trekking in Italy. Italy contributed to its evolution with the innovation of Federico Caprilli, at the origin of the modern riding and father of the “natural riding”. The Italian experience, along with the French and English ones, let the Amazon be able to tackle all equestrian disciplines, giving her a particular independence.