Youth

By sebastianokelly
0

Meagre offerings in this section at present, but this will be improved.

The spirit of Ruritania survived in 1930s Italy. Here Amedeo “reviews” some splendidly attired fellow officers. Duels with sabres were not unusual, and Amedeo himself fought two: one over horses; one over a woman. Amedeo took some persuading to use this photo as he thought some people would think he was ridiculing the king, Vittorio Emmanule III. That, he would never do.

Few tanks, but the horsemanship of the Italian army was excellent. Forward cut saddles and a proper modern jumping seat, clearly seen here, were evolved by the Italian cavalry in the early 20th century under the great Federico Caprilli. Show jumping trophies were often in Italian hands right up to the 1960s. Sadly, these sporting triumphs are completely forgotten in modern Italy.

Here is an excellent 1920s film showing Italian cavalry officers / cadets in training. From the landscape it looks like Pinerolo, but it could be Tor di Quinto, north of Rome. It gives an indication of how good Italian horsemanship was in the early 20th century:

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOyvimZuF5o