Equestrian Art The Collected Later Works by Nuno Oliveira

Master Nuno Oliveira is considered to be one of the leading figures (if not the leading figure) in the Equestrian Art of the 20th century. He was not only an expert in the discipline and its history but also an outstanding teacher and mentor, an instructor with unusual intelligence and a highly developed equestrian feeling, an unrivaled artist in the saddle.

His great genius consisted of the comprehensive synthesis of the two emerging but up until then, contrary schools of the Old French riding masters as represented by the teachings of Francois Robichon de la Guérinière (of the 18th century) and Francois Baucher (of the 19th century). What made Oliveira stand out was his unwavering, unprejudiced pragmatism, which let him find the best method from all of the schools for working on a specific goal with a specific horse at a specific moment.

He believed that every single horse had to be trained to the highest degree of perfection and shine within the scope of its individual possibilities. He rose above any doctrinal dispute and focused on the task at hand. A rider should not only ride but also observe, study, read and think carefully. He/she should act rationally and calmly, never act brutally or with force; he should have love of the horse and develop great equestrian feeling, the greatest of all equestrian virtues.

To achieve this, he taught with the messages of Etienne Beudant and Faverot de Kerbrech: "Ask often, be satisfied with a little, and reward often."

Now, the collected later writings of Master Nuno Oliveira are now made available to English-speaking readers in one economical volume. These works have been re-translated from Nuno Oliveira's original manuscripts in both Portuguese and French. The collection of photographs is unmatched. Photographs are carefully reproduced and rarely seen images will come to light in this unique collection of texts.

This long-awaited publication is a must for riders and lovers of fine riding and classical equestrian art. Together with the companion volume to this book, Equestrian Art: The Early Writings (1951-1956) of Master Nuno Oliveira, we now present, for the first time in English, in a set of two volumes, the complete written works of one of the greatest equestrian masters of the twentieth century.

This volume contains the following works:

Book 1 Classical Principles of the Art of Training Horses

Book 2 Horses and Their Riders

Book 3a Notes on the Teaching of Nuno Oliveira

Book 3b Notes on Elementary Equitation

Book 4 From an Old Écuyer to Young Riders

Book 5 Reminiscences of a Portuguese Rider

Appendix: Conference on Descente de main (Yielding of the hand)

Author: Nuno Oliveira
Publisher: Xenophon Press LLC
Published: 05/01/2023
Pages: 230
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 10.00h x 7.00w x 0.63d
ISBN: 9781948717526

About the Author
Oliveira, Nuno: - "Nuno Oliveira (23 June 1925 - 2 February 1989) was a Portuguese equestrian, horse trainer and dressage instructor. His teachings have inspired riders and trainers all over the world to adopt the 'baroque' or 'classical' style of working with the horse; an art which goes back hundreds of years and encompasses the fundamentals which most 'modern' disciplines can be traced back to.Nuno was born in Lisbon on 23 June 1925. He studied riding under Joaquim Goncalves de Miranda, in the style of the riding academy of Versailles. A great teacher, he possessed a near-encyclopedic knowledge of equestrian theory that crossed many styles and countries. His principal influences were François Robichon de La Guérinière, Gustav Steinbrecht and François Baucher.Oliveira was offered, but declined, the post of director of the Escola Portuguesa de Arte Equestre."