Where did the letters used for dressage come from ?

Gingerwitch

Gingerwitch

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I have heard that dressage stemmed from the cavelry and its various parade ground manovers - but i would love to know whom came up with the AKHCMBF etc and did it originally mean something and any other suggestions of where dressage originated from.

looking forward to some opinions
 
i don't know where they come from... but i'm sure we learnt a rhyme at pony club to help remember them...
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I know most of the rhymes but would really love to know where they came from as they are such an unusual sequence - well to the english language

All Kings Edwards Horses Cant Make Big Fences
 
Gingerwitch, as far as I can recall, the letters originated from the Prussian Court. I seem to remember that each letter stood for a "rank" in the Court retinue and marked the place where that person's horse stood with its groom prior to mounting. Sorry that is so lacking in detail but it is all I can dredge up from my dodgy memory!!
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Camilla4 - thanks i will start investigating that lead - may have to rename myself Miss Marple lol

I love this theory as it drums up all sorts of images in my furtive imagination
 
That's just the acronym for remembering the order Rachierach - I think Gingerwitch wanted to know how those particular letters were chosen. I'm sure I used to know but the mists of time and all that... !!
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thank you so much Camilla4 - i will look forward to reading this in peace - 'other half is just back from his motorbike ride - only an hour and a half late back - dont mind cos i often do it but its murder keeping his dinner from crisping at the best of times (lol)
 
I always used All King Edwards Horses Call Me Beautiful Filly (and then when you change the rein.....) A Fat Bay Mare Can Hardly Ever Kick (soooo not true, but still!)
 
There was a book called "Enter at A, laughing" that had the funniest explanation about where the letters came from... from the times when the classical gods used to ride dressage on mount Olympus
 
I read somwhere (or I may have imagined it!) that it was German (?) cavalry who used to perform it in an area in their barracks in the middle of their military builiding round the ourside. These were named by letters and so the people would perform the movements when they were level with a particular building and hence letter!!!!! Dunno how true it is tho :-)
 
[ QUOTE ]
I always used All King Edwards Horses Call Me Beautiful Filly (and then when you change the rein.....) A Fat Bay Mare Can Hardly Ever Kick (soooo not true, but still!)

[/ QUOTE ]

Mine are,
- All Kind Edward's Horses Can Manage Big Fences
- A Fat Brown Mare Can Have Eight Kids

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I was taught More Bl**dy Fools After King Edward Had Carrots and that was many years ago by my instructors husband who was one of those nice men who sit on guard in London with the big bearskin hats on and you can never get them to smile or talk whilst mounted.
 
I used to go the other way round and use

"A Fat Black Minx Cat Had Eleven Kittens"

Does anyone know any ryhmes for a 60x20 arena out of interest?

As for the letters, I remember reading once that it corresponded to the first letter of the names of horses that a king once had in his stable - the letters were how the horses were stabled around the courtyard.

My OH asked me the other day why those letters, and I just replied "because that's how it is" which was good enough for him, lol.
 
The most likely explanation for the dressage letters comes from the days of the Old German Imperial Court. Courtiers representing the various dignatories would be positioned around the stable yard in a strict order with the horses ready to ride.

The ranks were:

K = Kaiser
F = First Prince
P = Pferdknecht/Ostler
V = Vassal
E = Edeling/Ehrengast/Guest of Honour
B = Bannertrager/Standard Bearer
S = Schzkanzier/Chancellor of the Exchequer
R = Ritter/Knight
M = Meier/Steward
H = Hofsmarshaller/Lord Chancellor
 
Gingerwitch said:
I know most of the rhymes but would really love to know where they came from as they are such an unusual sequence - well to the english language

All Kings Edwards Horses Cant Make Big Fences
Click to expand...

its can manage big fence i think - otherwise they wudnt be very good horses for a king!:rolleyes:

i learnt one yeeeeaaars ago for the 20x60 too:

All kings vikings edwards silly horses can manage rather big political fences

bit random but thats how i remember it!
 
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