Prologue

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, with His grace and that of the Virgin Mary, His very holy mother, our Lady: here begins the book of instruction for riding well in every type of saddle, composed by King Dom Eduarte, king of Portugal and the Algarve and lord of Ceuta, who started this book when he was still a prince.

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: It is ordained that we should be accomplished in all things, and as the saying has it, “Of making books there is no end” and so for my own diversion and enjoyment, and recognizing that the art of being a good horseman is one of the most important skills that lords, knights, and squires ought to possess, I am writing a few things to assist the development of those who read this book with good will and are willing to do as I instruct.

You should know first of all that you will attain this art more by native talent, by acquiring and maintaining good mounts and having the opportunity to ride them regularly, and by living in a household and country that breeds and values good horsemen, than by knowing anything I will write here, or could be written by those who know more about it than I do, in the absence of good and continuous practice and the other advantages I have just listed. But I am writing this book to teach those who do not know about such things, and for those who know more, to consolidate in the memory those things that seem good to them, and so that they can teach others, correcting the errors I discuss.

Those who wish to possess this art need to have the three main things through which one acquires any art:

I will express my opinions concerning each of these; and even though ability and will cannot really be taught—since in all matters they are granted by nature and special grace rather than by learning— I will write about them to whet the desire and show the ability that we all possess, if we have the will and knowledge.