François Robichon de La Guérinière

François Robichon de La Guérinière (1688–1751) was a French riding master whose École de Cavalerie codified influential principles of classical horsemanship.

École de Cavalerie: A 1733 treatise by La Guérinière on riding, horse training, and equestrian practice. This book presented his methods and became the principal vehicle for their transmission.
Collection (horse training): A trained posture in which a horse carries more weight on its hindquarters and moves with elevated balance. La Guérinière treated collection as a result of gymnastic training rather than forceful restraint.
French riding school: An institution for teaching horsemanship in France, especially in the traditions of military and court riding. La Guérinière directed the riding academy of the Tuileries, where he taught and refined his approach.
Spanish Riding School: A Viennese institution devoted to classical dressage and the training of Lipizzaner horses. Its classical tradition preserves principles closely associated with La Guérinière's teaching.
Classical dressage: A tradition of horse training emphasizing balance, suppleness, and refined communication between horse and rider. La Guérinière's methods became foundational to this broader tradition.
Half-pass: A dressage movement in which a horse travels forward and sideways while bent in the direction of travel. It exemplifies the coordinated bending and lateral control developed through his exercises.
Académie de Versailles: The royal riding academy at Versailles, established to train riders and horses for the French court. The academy represents the courtly equestrian culture surrounding La Guérinière's career.
Lipizzan: A European horse breed developed for court riding and classical dressage. Lipizzans became closely associated with the classical riding tradition his work helped shape.
Shoulder-in: A lateral riding exercise in which a horse bends around the rider's inside leg while moving forward. La Guérinière described and promoted this exercise as a key means of developing suppleness.
Cavesson: A noseband used to guide or control a horse, especially during groundwork and training. La Guérinière's training practice used the cavesson to develop balance and obedience from the ground.

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