True horse knowledge?

[DeadRisingPies]

There's a famous poem by Robert Browning 'How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix' that's about a strenuous horse ride, looking as if based on a historical event, but now known to be entirely fictional. The route is plausible, but some critics have suggested that the horse knowledge in it is not. What do you think? The full poem is at www.englishverse.com/poems/how_they_brought_the_good_news_from_ghent_to_aix and the relevant verse is

Not a word to each other; we kept the great pace
Neck by neck, stride by stride, never changing our place;
I turned in my saddle and made its girths tight,
Then shortened each stirrup, and set the pique right,
Rebuckled the cheek-strap, chained slacker the bit,
Nor galloped less steadily Roland a whit.

Tightened the girth at a gallop? That's a good one! And why the hell would you be adjusting the bridle, at any pace?

And what on earth is a pique?

I thought that 'pique' might refer to 'spur' - but no, that's 'eperon' in French. (Have realised for the first time, thinking about this, that the poet's surname is related to gravy! - not that it's relevant to the poem, but at least it's unleashed a bit of verbal thinking out of the box.)

Was thinking, even if I wanted to adjust the bridle while riding , I couldn't reach my horse's head at a standstill, never mind at a gallop. Maybe the horse in the poem had a really short neck.

I've adjusted a bridle whilst saddled... Due to er, not fastening the reins properly when putting it back together properly. Ooops! We were in fact only 15 miles or so from Aix, but were ambling down a country lane, not galloping. ;)

I've adjusted a bridle while mounted too - horse had to turn his head towards me so I could reach. But at a standstill. I would also struggle to adjust stirrup leathers at anything more than a walk.

"Rebuckled the cheek-strap, chained slacker the bit,
Nor galloped less steadily Roland a whit."

It's not the best bit of poetry I've ever read - Elizabeth Barratt Browing was by far the better poet of those two.

Have found 1. pique - tightly woven fabric with raised cords this, perhaps he meant the saddle cloth or something?

Must say, I prefer John Gilpin's ride .

Sorry, bit of a rubbish link there, but you get the picture!

Yep- I have re-done my nose band while mounted once, as I realised I had done the noseband up OVER the right rein cos I wasn't looking what I was doing was a prat... I had been out on a hack for ages. Good job I can steer with my legs!

I'd just get off - but then I have a short horse .

I've done a girth at a canter - if your girth needs doing whilst you canter, you're in a "do or die" situation anyway are you not?

I watched incredulous yesterday as my husband got off to lengthen the stirrup leathers - she's 17.2hh ...

have adjusted girth at speed (not gallop, barely collected canter) but will never adjust bridle on board again after trying once and somehow lifting the whole thing off and away, thank goodness was out with a friend