[© 2026 Kip Mistral All Rights Reserved. Sketch of Young Marie Antoinette by Gabriel de Saint Aubin]

Artist Gabriel de Saint-Aubin captured her better than history ever did. In his quicksilver sketch, Marie Antoinette sits astride but turned in the saddle, glancing back over her shoulder as if the moment itself had surprised her. The lines tremble with movement. She is only five feet tall, her elegant little mount perhaps a Spanish jennet, yet unmistakably all horse: collected, light, and entirely attuned to her hand, ready to leap forward at her smallest whim.

It has always seemed to me that Marie Antoinette, born Archduchess of Austria and at age 14 married to Louis Auguste, Dauphin of France who would become King Louis XVI, is one of the misunderstood personalities of all time. To demonstrate, I’d like to write a little about her equestrian life which at one point in the young Dauphine’s world, became something of a story which should be remembered.

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[Photo credit Frédéric Chéhu. Copyright 2005 Kip Mistral. Originally published in Equine Journal, October 2005]

Michel Henriquet on Equestrian Art:

The Vanishing Point of Lightness

In a day when classical dressage and competition dressage don’t always see eye to eye, Michel Henriquet still strives for the ultimate lightness in riding.
by Kip Mistral

“It is disappearing,” Michel Henriquet says quietly, looking across his dining table with a level expression that hints of sadness. It is the end of a day of talk about the rich history of “high” equitation in Europe. Pale mid-afternoon light filters through the ancient windows of Fief de la Panetière, the venerable 16th century house that he shares with his wife, Olympic and international Grand Prix champion Catherine Durand. The company has lingered long over the end of a superb luncheon while Henriquet speaks of the future of equestrian art.

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