Breaking and Riding

by William Shakespeare

The return of a classic! This landmark work, first published in 1902, is finally back in print. A fundamental text in classical dressage, this information is more relevant than ever with the growth of "riding in lightness."

The legendary James Fillis details his theory and methods on a fascinating array of subjects, including:
-Bits and bitting
-Early training, feeding, and care of the young horse
-Lateral, direct, and indirect flexion
-Riding sidesaddle
-Horses with vices
-High school riding, including piaffe, passage, shoulder-in, two-tracking, the Spanish walk, and canter in reverse

The light and often humorous style make this a pleasant read, as well as an absorbing look back in time. Illustrated with drawings and photographs, and with a new introduction by William C. Steinkraus, this volume is a must-read for anyone interested in the development of classical dressage in the twentieth century.

384 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2005

About the author

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".

Reviews

[Dark-Draco · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the fact that JA Allen reprinted a lot of really old equitation books. They are a fascinating read, highlighting how much things change over the years - some for the good, some for the bad. But change they do!

This was written in 1902 by James Fillis, who was a top horseman of his time, with a great reputation for breaking horses. This book lays down his main principals, describing methods and aids to get the results he does, while mildly criticising the other horseman of the day.

For a modern rider, there are some stark differences between modern methods and what he employed. But his motto is "forward, always forward, and again forward!", something that I am also passionate about. If a horse does not move forward from the horses leg, then he is not correctly trained and it should be rectified with sound schooling.

Of course, a lot of things have moved on. I was fascinated to look at the pictures of him holding the reins, with both curb reins in one hand and both snaffle reins in the other (modern riders would hold the left curb and left snaffle rein in the left hand, and both right reins in the right hand). I have heard that riders used to do it, but had never had a chance to study how it was done. It seems awkward to me, but must have worked.

There were a lot of things we would no longer advocate. Most of the photos show horses with open mouths, which Fillis encourages, but which we would see as a fault or of a horse in pain. The heavy use of a curb bit was probably at fault, especially in some of the high school movements. Talking of which, most of these are familiar to today's dressage rider - the piaffe, passage, shoulder-in, etc. But why an earth would you want a horse to canter on three legs? Or turn on the haunches with one leg in the air? It all smacks a bit of the circus, which of course is where a lot of these riders showed off their skills, but trick riding is no longer considered 'equitation' as such.

So a good read, interesting and well written. Not all of it helpful, but it shows how modern techniques have developed. And I just have to leave by saying that the pictured of 'Horse and rider being drowned' is the funniest 'serious' illustration I have seen in a long time - it's worth picking up this book just for that!

[Eccentrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great, if not somewhat outdated, book. It is easy to see where modern riding came from. There are issues, such as women shouldn't ride astride, and some old-fashioned ideas. If you can keep that in mind (its over 100 years old)and read with an open mind, this book is pretty amazing. Classic ideas that have fallen by the wayside if you happen to look in the show ring lately.

I don't agree with everything he says, but Fillis made an impact on riding, and I don't regret reading this at all.

[Boronia · Rating 4 out of 5]

On what I've read so far: The information is clear and techniques well explained although some are out-dated and cruel. The read is however enjoyable and you'll discover that some of today's "natural Horsemanship" existed long before those 2 words were put together.
I would recommend this book to any serious horseperson. Keep in mind that this book was written in the late 1800's and at times is rather sexist.