Treatise on the Resistances of the Horse

PRE-ORDER: Orders to be shipped on 1 December 2026.

Appearing in English for the first time, Gerhardt’s Treatise on the Resistances of the Horse brings a seminal 1877 French dressage text to English-speaking readers.  Still widely respected and used in France, it explores the many obstacles riders can meet when training difficult horses, examines the causes that underpin them and provides a step-by-step guide to addressing them.

Gerhardt, Baucher and the French school

A cavalry officer who trained at St-Cyr and became écuyer en chef at the École de cavalerie at Saumur, Gerhardt developed the preparatory work in hand, or travail à pied (literally, 'work on foot'), later adopted by Baucher himself.  One of Baucher’s earlier pupils, Gerhardt did not approve of the later changes to Baucher’s method that became known as the “Second Manner”.

About this edition

• The first English translation (with the original French text included, side by side)
• Foreword by prominent Baucherist Julie Dudragne
• Contributions by Baucher scholar Dominique Ollivier
• New paperback, signed by the translator

A book for readers interested in in-hand work, classical dressage, French equitation and the history of horse training.

Cover artwork: Jill Soukup, Trickling Faces, oil, 29.5 × 31.5 inches. © 2019 Jill Soukup.