« At the mid point of the sixteenth century, a Neapolitan gentleman,
Federico Grisone
, published, for the first time, a printed book about the art of training the horse
“for the use of war” and on the secrets to “emend his defects.” The work was a huge
and immediate success and was soon emulated by other authors. The new literary genre
of equestrian treatises was thus born and its tradition, with ups and downs, became
alive and remains vital up to this day. It is no coincidence that this first work
was printed in Italy because, between the fifteenth and sixteenth century, it was
in that country that a new culture of the court, in which horse riding had a key role,
was developed. During this time, Italian riding masters were sought out by the members
of European courts. The scions of the European aristocracy ventured to Italy to perfect
their skill in the art of riding with renowned masters. » Présentation de l’éditeur
(2014)