Abstract：There is an inevitable link between equestrianism and chivalry. The contemporary equestrian sport is actually a concrete manifestation of the chivalry spirit. Through the analysis of equestrian sports, the essence of the chivalry spirit will be represented. This article explores the inheritance of chivalry in modern equestrianism and its positive significance to society respectively from the equestrian sports and the chivalry spirit.

This article mainly selects the equestrian sport and chivalry as the research object, analyzes the main aspects of the dissertation, including the topic selection, literature, research methods. It is pided into six chapters. The second and third chapter mainly introduce the history and development process of equestrian sports and chivalry respectively. The fourth and fifth chapter mainly introduce the influence of knight spirit on equestrian sports in terms of codes and dress, as well as its cultural and value orientation.

Through collecting relevant literature, together with comparative analysis of the literature, a link between modern equestrian sports and chivalry appears: Chivalry has influenced the modern equestrian sports in many aspects. Thouhgh the population of equestrian, the spirit of chivalry will be passed away.

Key Words: equestrian, sports, culture, chivalry

摘要：马术运动和骑士精神存在着必然的联系，当代马术运动实际上是骑士精神的一种具体体现，通过对马术运动的分析，可以看出骑士精神的本质，本文分别从马术运动和骑士精神两方面来探讨现代马术中骑士精神的传承和对社会产生的积极意义。

本文主要选取了马术运动以及骑士精神为研究对象，对论文的选题，文献，研究方法等构成论文环节的主要方面进行分析，配以文献法对相关文献进行收集，通过对文献的对比分析，得出现代马术运动和骑士精神的联系。

本文二三段主要介绍了马术运动和骑士精神分别的历史及其发展过程，第四五段着重介绍了骑士精神对马术运动在规定及着装方面的影响以及对其文化和价值导向的重要意义。

关键词：马术, 运动, 文化, 骑士精神

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments...i

Abstract...ii

摘要..iii

1 Introduction 1

2 Historical Development of Equestrian Sports 3

2.1 The Origin of Horse Riding as Sport 3

2.2 The Modern Equestrian Sport 4

3 The Rise and Fall of Chivalry 6

3.1 The Concept of Chivalry 6

3.2 The Vicissitude of Chivalry 7

4 Impact of Chivalry on Modern Equestrian Sport 10

4.1 Code of Conduction of Chivalry 10

4.2 Dress code of Chivalry 11

5 Practical Significance of Chivalry in Equestrian Sport 13

5.1 Horse Riding Culture 13

5.2 Value Orientation 13

6 Conclusion 15

Bibliography 17

1 Introduction

The term chivalry originates in French meaning “horsemanship” from French word “chevalier”, a man of aristocratic standing, and probably of noble ancestry, who is capable, if called upon, of equipping himself with a war horse and the arms of heavy cavalryman and who has been through certain rituals that make him what he is. The meaning of the term evolved over time from simply a heavily armed horseman to a code of conduct. Over time, its meaning in Europe has been refined to emphasize social and moral virtues more generally. The code of chivalry was a moral system which combined a warrior ethos, knightly piety, and courtly manners, all conspiring to establish a notion of honour and nobility.

Chivalry thrived during 11th to 13th century and declined after 15th century. When the Middle Ages were over, the code of chivalry was gone. However, the spirit is still passed down, for example, “gentleman”, the well-known culture symbol is transformed from chivalry. It also affects the view of love of modern Europeans in 21st century, such as the concept that a true lover can't love two people at the same time.