A Renaissance Kentucky Derby: Horses, Music and Pageantry in the Renaissance

Study of horse anatomy by Leonardo da Vinci, circa 1490.

The Kentucky Derby, perhaps the largest and most extravagant event in our state, is taking place right now! The Derby is the longest continually held sporting event in America, and it is one of the most prestigious horse races in the world, boasting spectacular pageantry, luxury and thrills. However, horses and equestrianism has played a role in society long before Kentucky even existed. In the Renaissance, these beautiful animals appeared in a variety of events, all meant to demonstrate the opulence of noble houses and merchant kings. Keep reading to find out more!

The scholar and philosopher Xenophon, depicted in a statue at the parliament building in Vienna, Austria.

The historical roots of Dressage reach back to 350 B.C. and the teachings a Roman general named Xenophon. Xenophon the Athenian was born 431 B.C. A pupil of Socrates, he marched with the Spartans and was exiled from Athens. In his treatise "On Horsemanship" (sometimes called De equis alendis), Xenophon gives the reader a guide on all things equestrian, largely from the perspective of a military man. His explanations of how to train up a parade horse inspired much of the equestrian practices in the Renaissance, when scholars and nobility revisited the Classics in an effort to create a civilized, cultured world. This study evolved into a more robust exploration of equestrianism than had existed prior, one not merely devoted to military talent, but to artistry and showmanship.

Jacob Jordaens, Cavalier executing a pesade, 1643, Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, MA, USA

In the sixteenth century, European courts were home to two primary types of horse-related events: equestrian ballets and equestrian processions. The former—also known today as “horse ballets”—were exhibitions of what we might call “synchronized and highly patterned equestrian movement, involving intense rehearsal and usually took place on a fenced-in tournament field. By contrast, equestrian processions required little special preparation, flowing through the streets of a town like a modern-day parade. A procession that involved wheeled vehicles—pulled, of course, by yet more horses—was generally called a carrousel. A carrousel was sometimes performed as an elaborate opening or closing event to a tournament. The term derives from the French carrosse or the Italian carrozza, i.e., a horse-drawn carriage or other wheeled vehicle, often richly decorated and carrying people symbolically costumed. Such a vehicle is nowadays often referred to by historians as a “festival car.”

Parade buckler featuring horse scenes from 16th century Italy.

The equestrian ballets were by far the most demanding of these events. Noblemen rode horses that had been trained to step high and to execute geometric figures. The noblemen’s squires were themselves of noble birth and often participated on horseback as well, though their horses might not step quite so high. The figures that the horses inscribed in equestrian ballets were often similar to the floor patterns generated by dancers in courtly ballets of the same era. And, like those dance patterns, they were apparently understood (at least by certain writers of the time) as reflecting visible features in the natural world—such as how flocks of large birds fly in lines and V’s—and reflecting the orderly nature of our cosmos.

Etching by Stefano della Bella (1637), ‘Carousel in Florence for the Marriage of The Grand Duke Ferdinand II’.

The Kentucky Derby doesn't incorporate the fantastical dressage techniques of the equestrian ballet, but it does rival them in terms of the pageantry and opulence required to pull them off. Quite often, they occurred as part of larger celebrations, mainly the weddings of high-ranking nobility. A famous one was performed at the wedding of Emperor Leopold I to his first wife, the Infanta Margarita Teresa, in 1666. Other historical performances include the equestrian ballet performed in 1581 in Paris for the wedding of the Duc de Joyeuse. The “Balletti a Cavallo” was performed in 1637 at the wedding of Grand Duke Ferdinand II and Victoria d’Urbino.

Louis XIV in Le Grand Carrousel.

The 1662 Grand Carrousel at the Tuileries, performed over two days, celebrated the birth of the Dauphin, son of Louis XIV. It was a grand display of the young King's power and splendour. Louis participated, as did the royal dukes. The riders and their horses were elaborately costumed, and the characters were allegorical and representative in nature--Romans, Turks, famous warriors from history. Teams of participants, each led by a duke or the king, performed this ballet to music created by the court composer Lully. The horses' decorations alone cost one hundred thousand livres! Just like the Derby today, the pomp and circumstance that surrounded these events drew interest all across the known world.

The Equestrian Statue of Gattamelata by Donatello, dating from 1453, located on the Piazza del Santo in Padua, Italy.

Whether you're at Churchill Downs enjoying the Derby races and mint juleps, or at home exploring the history of equestrianism in our global culture, we hope you enjoy your weekend! If you want to learn more about early music history, check out our other blog entries, and if you want to hear live music from the medieval and Renaissance periods, consider coming to our next concert, "Medieval Chivalry: Tales of Knights and Courtly Love" on May 31, 2026 at 4 pm, at Crestwood Christian Church. We'd love to see you there!