June 2009 Newsletter

Transcription

1 June 2009 Newsletter Notes from the Museum This is an exciting time of change for The National Museum of the Morgan Horse. The Archivist position has switched hands from Kathlyn Furr to Amber Broderick. We are busy devising a plan to update and refresh our exhibition space. We are focusing energy on the ongoing process of organizing our rich, historical collection and keeping current on meeting present archival standards in the museum world. I have incorporated a small rotating exhibit into our lobby space. This exhibit will feature treasures from the archive. This month the exhibit is showcasing vintage photographs from the Hoffman collection, the dupont collection and the Dana Wingate Kelley collection. If you live in our neck of the woods, I encourage you to come and visit. We are hoping that this rotating exhibit will bring to the public s attention the wide scope of historical objects we hold in our stewardship. For those of you receiving this newsletter for the first time, allow me to introduce the National Museum of the Morgan Horse. We share a building with the American Morgan Horse Association and the American Morgan Horse Institute in picturesque Shelburne, Vermont. We are dedicated to educating the public about the Morgan Horse. We collect, preserve and display original works of art and historical materials related to the Morgan breed. We have a small library and research center that is open to researchers by appointment.

2 A Bit of History from the Archive An Essay on Performing Horses You must learn his thoughts from the noble horse you intend to ride. You must not demand anything unwise, anything foolish of him. Goethe All Morgan admirers recognize the breed s remarkable versatility and willingness. These qualities mark the Morgan as a prime candidate for the role of a performing horse. I recently came across photographs of Ann Canestrelli astride Camelot Fascination performing the piaffe in a 1974 issue of The Morgan Horse. There is something dramatically elegant about a horse and rider performing Haute Ecole, and the photographs I discovered begged me to look into the history of this performance ritual. Haute Ecole, or the High School, is considered the most classical and elaborate level of Dressage. Ann Canestrelli on Camelot Fascination, The Morgan Horse 1974

3 Early on horses allowed men to attain a new, higher level of civilization. Horses were used in warfare, and in times of peace, their abilities were lent to entertainment and pageantry. The Greeks were using horses in racing as early as 1600 BC. In 644 BC horseback races were included in the 33 rd Olympiad. It is believed that by 500 BC the Greeks were training their horses to pirouette, bow and dance and perform routines of the High School. At this same time the Egyptian people were also becoming involved with the art of horsemanship. In 300 BC Ptolemy used horses to pull ornate floats in staged parades. As the Romans took over from the Greeks they used horses in more bloody and violent forms of competition as entertainment. And then, at the fall of the Roman Empire, the performing horse fell into obscurity for almost 1,000 years. During the following Dark Ages there is some documentation of small traveling troupes showcasing their trained horses, but these shows were very small in scale. The Middle Ages brought on the development of the very large war horse in northern European countries. During the crusades these massive beasts were brought to England and then on to the Orient, where their bloodlines were mixed with the blood of Eastern stock. Then the Moors took over the Iberian Peninsula and brought into Spain large quantities of Barb and Arabian pure blooded horses. This had a large and lasting effect on the Spanish stock. The conquistadors eventually brought this stock to America, and these animals were known as the first horses (other than prehistoric) to grace the western world. Riding schools developed for the personal use of the kings and their courts during feudal times in Europe. In the 1600 s true riding schools were born and instructors began to build the first principals of riding. The changing rules of war again affected horsemanship, as swords replaced spears and staffs it became necessary to train horses to a higher degree of response. This developed the teaching of piaffe, which was originally taught with the animal between pillars. The training of the levade, croupade and capriole followed. As modern weapons were developed, Haute Ecole lost its practical value, and once again what was intended for fine tuning a horse for war morphed into an entertaining art form. The first important riding schools were in Naples and Rome. A gentleman by the name of Frederiga Grisone, one of the first well known riding masters, wrote a book on the subject of horsemanship in He and his pupil, G.B. Pignatelli became internationally successful. The aristocracy from all over the world came to study beneath these trainers and learn the art of the High School. A pupil of Pignatelli s named Antoine de Pluvinel went on to open a similar school in France. In England the revival of the art of horsemanship is due to William Cavendish, the Duke of Newcastle, who wrote the book General System of Horsemanship in 1648.

4 The Spanish Riding School was founded approximately 400 years ago and still exists today in Vienna. Haute Ecole exercises are highly stylized, but always exaggerate or adapt natural movements of the horse. Colonel Podhajsky, the director of the school from 1939 to 1965, was quoted as saying, Drilling a horse is not to be thought of as discipline, or mechanical repetition. It is an exercise in understanding. The horse must understand what we want him to do, and we must understand precisely what he is capable of doing. The rider must be firm. He must be in command, but he must not be cruel. That is stupid. We do not indulge in great whips and special spurs and devilish bits. We remember the words of Gueriniere, the 18 th century riding master, who said the more iron in the mouth of the horse, the less knowledge of the rider. The instructions of riding now used at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna were written in 1898 by Field Marshal von Holbein. This rich tradition of Haute Ecole can find traces as far back as 365 BC in the ancient Greek writings on the art of horsemanship by Zenophon. Ann Canestrelli on Camelot Fascination, The Morgan Horse 1974 The doors of this world of the High School are not closed to our beloved Morgan horse, and as is usual with every genre of riding, the breed has found its way into this school. And this brings me back to where I began, with Ann Canestrelli and Camelot Fascination. Camelot Fascination, also known as Little Mare (out of Spring Glo and Priscilla Alden), was purchased from Camelot farms by a soft spoken school teacher from Sarasota. This soft spoken teacher was Ann, who went on to have the horse dressage trained. Then this quiet woman surprised everyone by marrying into the circus. She married Oreste Canestrelli, an Italian man who moved to America in 1956 to perform in the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus with his world renowned Chimp and Dog act. Mr. Canestrelli was also a talented equestrian, and is pictured below astride his Morgan stallion, Smokey Brigadier. Ann traveled with Fascination in 1969 with the Tom Pack Shrine Circus all the way to Venezuela, performing Haute Ecole with her mare. The team appeared from coast to coast with fairs, circuses, horse shows and the Wonderful World of Horses. They starred in shows at Madison Square Garden, Boston Garden and Maple Leaf

5 Garden. They performed extensively in South America and even appeared at the Circus Hall of Fame in Sarasota, Florida. O. Canestrelli on Smokey Brigadier, National Museum of the Morgan Horse Archive There is an entire organization devoted to the promotion of the Morgan horse in Dressage: The Morgan Dressage Association. The Morgan s exceptional desire to please and excel in whatever is asked of him makes him a natural for succeeding in the role of performing horse. If you know of any exceptional performing Morgans, please do not hesitate to bring them to the museum s attention. Fox, Charles Philip. A Pictorial History of Performing Horses, Superior Publishing Company: Seattle, 1960.

6 If you are an individual with a passion for the Morgan horse, I strongly encourage you to become a member of our museum. The Morgan horse has a fascinating history, closely knit with New England and Vermont s history, and we are devoted to preserving the Morgan s unique and far reaching story. We rely on support from our donors to operate, and every small donation, regardless of size, is significant to our survival. I am including a membership form for those of you who are interested. We are also in active pursuit of volunteers to assist in many aspects of the operation of our museum, so please consider making a gift to the museum of your time. Best wishes to all horse lovers and I look forward to seeing you in the museum! Amber Rae Broderick Archivist/Registrar

7 My gift to the National Museum of the Morgan Horse Name: Family Members: Farm Name: Address: City, State, Zip: Phone/Fax/ $1,000+ Patron $500 $999 Supporter $250 $499 Sponsor $100 $249 Donor $50 $99 Contributor $25 $49 Gift Please check one: Cash Enclosed $ Check Enclosed # Visa/MC# Exp. Amount *Make checks payable to NMMH. Your donation is tax deductible under IRS 501 (c)(3). Mail: PO Box 700, Shelburne, VT Fax: Phone:

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