To Major, Viscount Torrington

Lord Gwydyyr requests the pleasure of Major, Right Hon. Viscount Torrington's company for horseriding practice at 9 o'clock, 4th October 1814, at Astley's Riding Academy grounds. Music band will be available at this date between 12 and 1 o'clock. The Academy will be open from 8:30 for anybody wishing to warm up early.

List of volunteer participants:

Major, The Most Noble Marquis of Worchester, 10th Hussars (Auburn Hampton (Hampton),chestnut brown, welsh/thoroughbred crossbreed, stallion) - pesade, would try levade at a later time.
Major, Viscount Torrington, Corps of Royal Engineers ( Trueno, black, Zamoranos Cartujano, stallion) - capriole, nicely executed.
Major, Hon. John Vickery, 5/60th Rifles (Brandy, dark chestnut - brown, thoroughbred, gelding) - neatly executed mezzair
Viscount Gwydyr, Captain of the 15th Light Dragoons (Hussars) (Herrero, white with black patches, Portuguese Andalusian - Lusitano, stallion) controlled piaffe, pesade, lying the horse down and bow.
Hon. Henry G. Bernard, Captain of the 4th Dragoons ( Abaccus ,dark brown, Irish drought stallion) -  fine stand of the horse on his hind quarters, levade.
Hon. William Burlingame, Captain of 15th Light Dragoons (Hussars) (Othello, gray, frederiksborger, stallion) - a version of croupade, forceful yet elegant kick to the back.
Captain Sympher, King's German Artillery  (Samiel, dark bay, light Percheron, gelding) - expertly performed courbette.
Lieutenant Dalrymple, 37th Regiment of Foot (Hadrian, darker bay, arabian horse, gelding) - Courbette of three hops 'only', but those neatly and tidily executed.


*Sympher: After a short demonstration in all the gaits he proceeded to perform the airs on the ground and even a few above, showing a more than passing familiarity with La Guérinière's works on horsemanship and the moves of the classical dressage.
*Torrington: he repeated Sympher's performance - perhaps the best way to get a direct comparison. While he certainly was good, the differences were quite easy to spot; both horse and rider seemed to be slowly feeling their way back into things, and while they managed all the figures, it was with less ease and with a few false starts, and during an attempted half-pass a misunderstanding arose which left the stallion to actually buckle for a moment in an attempt to straigthen out his legs the way he wanted.
*Vickery: The figures were a little rough in places, which was only to be expected from a fighting horse which had not performed dressage in some time, although he certainly knew the movements required.
*Worcester: He executed a different routine, one that the hussars did during their training, embellished with a few more advanced figures and steps. It emphasized more the practical demands of control, flexibility and collection.
*Willoughby: Performance. Trick riding.
*Burlingame: . He had followed the presentation that had been first started by Sympher only adding a few of his twists and certainly adding the speed to it where he could get away with it. His presentation was explosive, wild and yet loosing none of the control, which such a performance could quickly do. He was quite good, with the exemplary halts where his horse would quicken up with the different steps and then stop nearly at the same spot, turn about smoothly and continue with an elegant dressage step. His animal responded well to the light nudges and squeezes and tugs
*Bernard: Dignified performance, attitude with horse. Well controlled.
*Darlymple: Rather than design a whole new routine on the fly, he took his mount calmly through the routine performed by the first riders.

Groups established:
Sympher, Burlingame, Darlymple, Torrington
Willoughby, Vickery, Worcester, Bernard.

Major Torrington's compliments, and he will not fail to appear at the appointed time.