The Spanish Riding School of Vienna has been selectively breeding and training horses for 450 years and is famous today for the presentation of classical equitation in its public performances. This thesis examines the performances of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna (SRS) and addresses the question of how these distinctive equestrian performances might be appreciated and evaluated. This question reveals the existence of two further threads of inquiry; firstly, a thread relating to performance aspects, such as, beauty and its experience, namely aesthetic inquiry, and secondly, one relating to the many ways in which we view and treat animals, and our moral responsibility to them, namely ethical inquiry. Ideals of beauty and our moral responsibilities toward animals are closely related to the political, social, cultural and religious values of a given time and as such are subject to change. Therefore a further line of inquiry is required to assist in our understanding the performances of the SRS and this is closely related to the historical traditions and values that underpin them. Therefore, I begin this investigation by exploring the historical background of classical equitation as practised at the SRS, to shed some light not only on how this type of equitation developed, but also on how the relationship between the horse and human has also developed from the initial use of the horse as a vehicle in battle, to the presentation of the horse in the performances that we see in Vienna today. In so doing, I argue that the historical practices and traditions in this case are both ethically, and aesthetically relevant.

'To Amaze the People with Pleasure and Delight': an analysis of the horsemanship manuals of William Cavendish, the first Duke of Newcastle (1593-1676). William Cavendish published two horsemanship manuals in 1658 and 1667, setting out his method for the noble art of the riding house. This thesis argues that within the canon of Newcastle's writing, his horsemanship manuals are key texts, offering insights into his writing practice, personal philosophy and motivation. To understand the importance of the manuals in their cultural context, Newcastle's contribution to the development of riding as an art is considered, with particular reference to the way in which his attitude towards other authors influenced each manual. A detailed examination of the technical aspects of the manuals illustrates that to ignore the method in favour of the historical and political material is to overlook a vital element. Newcastle's understanding of the horse's mind is a key to his approach, therefore this study argues that his royalist ideologies are supported and paralleled through his treatment and expectation of his horses. The engraved plates that illustrate the first manual are analysed as multi-layered images, offering a notional journey through his estates. The thesis will conclude with consideration of near-contemporary responses to Newcastle's work and argue that the manuals' importance to his own self actualisation and emotional security is written as much into the practicalities of the method as the theatricalities of its presentation.

« L’équitation est une activité pratiquée par les riches ou les homosexuels ! ». Les stéréotypes entourant les pratiques équestres sont nombreux minimisant la variété même des pratiques et usages existants. Si le saut d’obstacle, le dressage ou le complet sont des disciplines olympiques, les courses en hippodrome, la randonnée, l’endurance, l’équithérapie, etc., mobilisent des dizaines de milliers de personnes en France chaque année. Les études qui se sont jusqu’ici intéressées à la question équestre sont nombreuses, mais s’intéressent bien souvent à la pratique compétitive à côté de laquelle vivoterait un « loisir » sans autre intérêt que de passer du temps, voire en prenant du plaisir, à cheval. Pourtant, s’intéresser à l’histoire équestre invite à la réflexion. En effet, l’équitation, quelle que soit sa forme actuelle, est issue d’une pratique guerrière. D’où la question que pose cette étude : l’équitation ne serait-elle pas, en fait, un art martial qui s’ignore ? Au travers d’une étude socio-historique de l’activité, de l’observation participante dans plusieurs centres équestres, d’équitation traditionnelle mais aussi éthologique, des entretiens avec des cavalières-cavaliers (n =50) l’étude s’attache à comprendre ce que signifie devenir cavalier au 21e siècle voire se revendiquer comme tel. La recherche menée constate l’ascendance guerrière de l’équitation au plan historique, mais aussi pour certains cavaliers au niveau d’une éthique à défendre, de valeurs à restaurer. « L’apprentissage par corps » adossé à l’observation et aux entretiens avec des professionnels équestres, au sens de leur engagement social dans leur discipline, autorisent largement la comparaison, si ce n’est l’intégration, de l’équitation avec les arts guerriers ou martiaux. / “Horse-riding is practiced by rich people or homosexuals!” There are plenty of stereotypes regarding equestrian activities which minimize the variety and even the existing kinds and uses. If jumping, dressage and eventing are Olympic disciplines, racing, trail riding, endurance, equine therapy and so on, mobilize tens of thousands of people in France each year.Studies which talk about the equestrian question are numerous, but often focus their interest on the competitive practice rather than a “leisure activity” whose interest is to spend time, even having fun on horse. However, an interest in equestrian history provokes thought. Indeed, horse-riding, in whatever actual form, is the result of war practice. Here comes the question asked by this study: should horse-riding , in fact, be seen as an ignored martial art?Through a socio-historian study of the activity, observations in several equestrian centres of traditional horseriding and also natural horseman-ship, interviews with horse riders (n=50) the study focuses on understanding what is to become of a horse rider in the 21st century or even to claim being one of them.The research conducted reports the warriors ascendance in horse-riding from an historical point, and also for some horse riders, the values to restore. “The body learning” backed by observation and interviews with equestrian professionals, understood as a social engagement in their discipline, largely allows the comparison, and if not the integration, of horse-riding in war or martial arts.

Le premier objectif de ce travail de thèse était de développer la méthodologie d’étude des postures basée sur la morphométrie géométrique. Cela nécessitait un perfectionnement de la méthodologie déjà existante sur la ligne du dos du cheval afin d’obtenir une méthode précise, quantifiable, objective et reproductible, permettant de discriminer des populations. Pour cela, plusieurs améliorations méthodologiques (ajout de marqueurs pour dessiner le contour de laligne du dos du cheval, analyse de contour, annulation de la rotation de l’encolure) ont été testées sur un important jeu de données et finalement retenues. Cette méthodologie retenue a ensuite été utilisée afin de valider sa pertinence, et de rechercher des postures associées à des états de mal-être et à des conditions de travail différentes. Nos résultats ont tout d’abord mis en évidence l’existence d’une posture atypique, dans l’ensemble plate, voire creuse, associée à des marqueurs de mal-être parmi les chevaux de centre équestre. D’une part des chevaux issus de différentes disciplines équestres, et d’autre part des individus entrainés pour les courses de galop par plusieurs entraineurs, aux pratiques distinctes, ont permis d’observer un effet du type de travail sur la ligne du dessus notamment sur la forme de la croupe, del’encolure et du garrot. La méthodologie ainsi validée, il était possible de proposer un protocole de mesure de la posture par morphométrie géométrique chez l’humain, pour une application à l’étude de la communication non verbale, à la constitution d’un répertoire de postures « normales », ou encore pour le diagnostic de pathologies physiques (e.g. contextesportif) ou psychologiques. / The first goal of this thesis work was to develop the study methodology of the posture based on geometric morphometrics. This required an upgrading of the already existing methodology using the upper line of the horse in order to obtain a precise, quantifiable, unbiased and reproducible method which allows to discriminate populations. To achieve this, manymethodological improvements (addition of markers for the modelling of the contour of horse upper line, contour analyses, cancellation of the neck rotation) has been tested on a very large dataset and retained. Then this adopted methodology has been used to validate its relevance, and searching for postures associated with poor welfare and different working conditions. Our results has first brought to light the existence of an atypical posture, globally flat, even hollow, related to poor welfare indicators among the population of riding school horses. On one side horses from different equestrian disciplines, and on the other side individuals trained for horseracing by several trainers with distinct practices, has allowed to observe an impact of the type of work on the upper line, notably on the shape of the croup, neck and withers. This methodology thereby validated, it was possible to propose a protocol for the measure of the posture through geometric morphometrics on humans, for an application in the non-verbal communication research, the creation of a repertoire of « normal » postures, or for the diagnosis of psychological or physical pathologies (e.g. in the sport context).