Donna Landry of Kent’s Centre for Studies in the Long Eighteenth Century is co-hosting an international symposium on courts and horses from the sixteenth century to the present, taking in equestrian, sporting, military and ceremonial history.
For centuries horses have played a vital part in court ceremonies, political events and battles around the globe. Carriage processions, tournaments, carrousels, hunting and racing are just some of the activities in which horses have taken centre stage. Horses were also crucial performers in diplomatic exchanges and military confrontations. The culture of equestrianism at court was reflected in architecture, equipment and treatises, in bloodlines, riding and driving practices. Horsemen and horsewomen today maintain traditions that originated at medieval and early modern courts. However, despite their ubiquity in historical events, horses have been neglected in studies of court culture. ‘The Reins of Power’ seeks to fill this gap.
The Reins of Power will take place between Wednesday the 21st and Friday the 23rd of March at the Wallace Collection in Central London. Tickets are £65 per day or £150 for the whole event (reduced student rates are available) and can be booked through the Eventbrite website.
Image courtesy of the Wallace Collection.