On Horsemanship(骑马术)

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On Horsemanship

By Xenophon

Translation by H. G. Dakyns

On Horsemanship

Claiming to have attained some proficiency in horsemanship[1]

ourselves, as the result of long experience in the field, our wish is to

explain, for the benefit of our younger friends, what we conceive to be the

most correct method of dealing with horses.

[1] Lit. "Since, through the accident of having for a long time

'ridden' ourselves, we believe we have become proficients in

horsemanship, we wish to show to our younger friends how, as we

conceive the matter, they will proceed most correctly in dealing with

horses." {ippeuein} in the case of Xenophon = serve as a {ippeus},

whether technically as an Athenian "knight" or more particularly in

reference to his organisation of a troop of cavalry during "the retreat"

("Anab." III. iii. 8-20), and, as is commonly believed, while serving

under Agesilaus ("Hell." III. iv. 14) in Asia, 396, 395 B.C.

There is, it is true, a treatise on horsemanship written by Simon, the

same who dedicated the bronze horse near the Eleusinion in Athens[2]

with a representation of his exploits engraved in relief on the pedestal.[3]

But we shall not on that account expunge from our treatise any

conclusions in which we happen to agree with that author; on the contrary

we shall hand them on with still greater pleasure to our friends, in the

belief that we shall only gain in authority from the fact that so great an

expert in horsemanship held similar views to our own; whilst with regard

to matters omitted in his treatise, we shall endeavour to supply them.

[2] L. Dind. [in Athens]. The Eleusinion. For the position of this

sanctuary of Demeter and Kore see Leake, "Top. of Athens," i. p.

296 foll. For Simon see Sauppe, vol. v. Praef. to "de R. E." p. 230; L.

Dind. Praef. "Xen. Opusc." p. xx.; Dr. Morris H. Morgan, "The Art

of Horsemanship by Xenophon," p. 119 foll. A fragment of the work

referred to, {peri eidous kai ekloges ippon}, exists. The MS. is in the

On Horsemanship

library of Emmanual Coll. Cant. It so happens that one of the

hipparchs (?) appealed to by Demosthenes in Arist. "Knights," 242,

{andres ippes, paragenesthe nun o kairos, o Simon, o Panaiti, ouk elate

pros to dexion keras};

bears the name.

[3] Lit. "and carved on the pedestal a representation of his own

performances."

As our first topic we shall deal with the question, how a man may best

avoid being cheated in the purchase of a horse. Take the case of a foal as

yet unbroken: it is plain that our scrutiny must begin with the body; an

animal that has never yet been mounted can but present the vaguest

indications of spirit. Confining ourselves therefore to the body, the first

point to examine, we maintain, will be the feet. Just as a house would be

of little use, however beautiful its upper stories, if the underlying

foundations were not what they ought to be, so there is little use to be

extracted from a horse, and in particular a war-horse,[4] if unsound in his

feet, however excellent his other points; since he could not turn a single

one of them to good account.[5]

[4] Or, "and that a charger, we will suppose." For the simile see

"Mem." III. i. 7.

[5] Cf. Hor. "Sat." I. ii. 86:

regibus hic mos est: ubi equos mercantur, opertos inspiciunt, ne, si

facies, ut saepe, decora molli fulta pede est, emptorem inducat hiantem,

quod pulchrae clunes, breve quod caput, ardua cervix.

and see Virg. "Georg." iii. 72 foll.

In testing the feet the first thing to examine will be the horny portion

of the hoof. For soundness of foot a thick horn is far better than a thin.

Again it is important to notice whether the hoofs are high both before and

behind, or flat to the ground; for a high hoof keeps the "frog,"[6] as it is

called, well off the ground; whereas a low hoof treads equally with the

stoutest and softest part of the foot alike, the gait resembling that of a

bandy-legged man.[7] "You may tell a good foot clearly by the ring," says

On Horsemanship

Simon happily;[8] for the hollow hoof rings like a cymbal against the solid

earth.[9]

[6] Lit. "the swallow."

[7] Al. "a knock-kneed person." See Stonehenge, "The Horse" (ed.

1892), pp. 3, 9.

[8] Or, "and he is right."

[9] Cf. Virg. "Georg." iii. 88; Hor. "Epod." xvi. 12.

And now that we have begun with the feet, let us ascend from this

point to the rest of the body. The bones[10] above the hoof and below the

fetlock must not be too straight, like those of a goat; through not being

properly elastic,[11] legs of this type will jar the rider, and are more liable

to become inflamed. On the other hand, these bones must not be too low,

or else the fetlock will be abraded or lacerated when the horse is galloped

over clods and stones.

[10] i.e. "the pasterns ({mesokunia}) and the coffin should be

'sloping.'"

[11] Or, "being too inflexible." Lit. "giving blow for blow, overuch

like anvil to hammer."

The bones of the shanks[12] ought to be thick, being as they are the

columns on which the body rests; thick in themselves, that is, not puffed

out with veins or flesh; or else in riding over hard ground they will

inevitably be surcharged with blood, and varicose conditions be set up,[13]

the legs becoming thick and puffy, whilst the skin recedes; and with this

loosening of the skin the back sinew[14] is very apt to start and render the

horse lame.

[12] i.e. "the metacarpals and metatarsals."

[13] Or, "and become varicose, with the result that the shanks swell

whilst the skin recedes from the bone."

[14] Or, "suspensory ligament"? Possibly Xenophon's anatomy is

wrong, and he mistook the back sinew for a bone like the fibula. The

part in question might intelligibly enough, if not technically, be

termed {perone}, being of the brooch-pin order.

On Horsemanship

If the young horse in walking bends his knees flexibly, you may safely

conjecture that when he comes to be ridden he will have flexible legs,

since the quality of suppleness invariably increases with age.[15] Supple

knees are highly esteemed and with good reason, rendering as they do the

horse less liable to stumble or break down from fatigue than those of

stiffer build.

[15] Lit. "all horses bend their legs more flexibly as time advances."

Coming to the thighs below the shoulder-blades,[16] or arms, these if

thick and muscular present a stronger and handsomer appearance, just as

in the case of a human being. Again, a comparatively broad chest is better

alike for strength and beauty, and better adapted to carry the legs well

asunder, so that they will not overlap and interfere with one another. Again,

the neck should not be set on dropping forward from the chest, like a

boar's, but, like that of a game-cock rather, it should shoot upwards to the

crest, and be slack[17] along the curvature; whilst the head should be bony

and the jawbone small. In this way the neck will be well in front of the

rider, and the eye will command what lies before the horse's feet. A horse,

moreover, of this build, however spirited, will be least capable of

overmastering the rider,[18] since it is not by arching but by stretching out

his neck and head that a horse endeavours to assert his power.[19]

[16] Lit. "the thighs below the shoulder-blades" are distinguished

from "the thighs below the tail." They correspond respectively to our

"arms" (i.e. forearms) and "gaskins," and anatomically speaking =

the radius (os brachii) and the tibia.

[17] "Slack towards the flexure" (Stonehenge).

[18] Or, "of forcing the rider's hand and bolting."

[19] Or, "to display violence or run away."

It is important also to observe whether the jaws are soft or hard on one

or other side, since as a rule a horse with unequal jaws[20] is liable to

become hard-mouthed on one side.

[20] Or, "whose bars are not equally sensitive."

Again, a prominent rather than a sunken eye is suggestive of alertness,

On Horsemanship

and a horse of this type will have a wider range of vision.

And so of the nostrils: a wide-dilated nostril is at once better than a

contracted one for respiration, and gives the animal a fiercer aspect. Note

how, for instance, when one stallion is enraged against another, or when

his spirit chafes in being ridden,[21] the nostrils at once become dilated.

[21] Or, "in the racecourse or on the exercising-ground how readily he

distends his nostrils."

A comparatively large crest and small ears give a more typical and

horse-like appearance to the head, whilst lofty withers again allow the

rider a surer seat and a stronger adhesion between the shoulders and the

body.[22]

[22] Or if with L. D. [{kai to somati}], transl. "adhesion to the

horse's shoulders."

A "double spine,"[23] again, is at once softer to sit on than a single,

and more pleasing to the eye. So, too, a fairly deep side somewhat rounded

towards the belly[24] will render the animal at once easier to sit and

stronger, and as a general rule better able to digest his food.[25]

[23] Reading after Courier {rakhis ge men}. See Virg. "Georg." iii.

87, "at duplex agitur per lumbos spina." "In a horse that is in good

case, the back is broad, and the spine does not stick up like a ridge,

but forms a kind of furrow on the back" (John Martyn); "a full back,"

as we say.

[24] Or, "in proportion to." See Courier ("Du Commandement de la

Cavalerie at de l'Equitation": deux livres de Xenophon, traduits par

un officier d'artillerie a cheval), note ad loc. p. 83.

[25] i.e. "and keep in good condition."

The broader and shorter the loins the more easily will the horse raise

his forequarters and bring up his hindquarters under him. Given these

points, moreover, the belly will appear as small as possible, a portion of

the body which if large is partly a disfigurement and partly tends to make

the horse less strong and capable of carrying weight.[26]

[26] Al. "more feeble at once and ponderous in his gait."

On Horsemanship

The quarters should be broad and fleshy in correspondence with the

sides and chest, and if they are also firm and solid throughout they will be

all the lighter for the racecourse, and will render the horse in every way

more fleet.

To come to the thighs (and buttocks):[27] if the horse have these

separated by a broad line of demarcation[28] he will be able to plant his

hind-legs under him with a good gap between;[29] and in so doing will

assume a posture[30] and a gait in action at once prouder and more firmly

balanced, and in every way appear to the best advantage.

[27] Lit. "the thighs beneath the tail."

[28] Reading {plateia to gramme diorismenous ekhe}, sc. the

perineum. Al. Courier (after Apsyrtus), op. cit. p. 14, {plateis te kai

me diestrammenous}, "broad and not turned outwards."

[29] Or, "he will be sure to spread well behind," etc.

[30] {ton upobasin}, tech. of the crouching posture assumed by the

horse for mounting or "in doing the demi-passade" (so Morgan, op.

cit. p. 126).

The human subject would seem to point to this conclusion. When a

man wants to lift anything from off the ground he essays to do so by

bringing the legs apart and not by bringing them together.

A horse ought not to have large testicles, though that is not a point to

be determined in the colt.

And now, as regards the lower parts, the hocks,[31] or shanks and

fetlocks and hoofs, we have only to repeat what has been said already

about those of the fore-legs.

[31] {ton katothen astragelon, e knemon}, lit. "the under (or hinder?)

knuckle-bones (hocks?) or shins"; i.e. anatomically speaking, the os

calcis, astragalus, tarsals, and metatarsal large and small.

I will here note some indications by which one may forecast the

probable size of the grown animal. The colt with the longest shanks at the

moment of being foaled will grow into the biggest horse; the fact being--

and it holds of all the domestic quadrupeds[32]--that with advance of time

On Horsemanship

the legs hardly increase at all, while the rest of the body grows uniformly

up to these, until it has attained its proper symmetry.

[32] Cf. Aristot. "de Part. Anim." iv. 10; "H. A." ii. 1; Plin. "N.

H." xi. 108.

Such is the type[33] of colt and such the tests to be applied, with every

prospect of getting a sound-footed, strong, and fleshy animal fine of form

and large of stature. If changes in some instances develop during growth,

that need not prevent us from applying our tests in confidence. It far more

often happens that an ugly-looking colt will turn out serviceable,[34] than

that a foal of the above description will turn out ugly or defective.

[33] Lit. "by testing the shape of the colt in this way it seems to us

the purchaser will get," etc.

[34] For the vulg. {eukhroastoi}, a doubtful word = "well coloured,"

i.e. "sleek and healthy," L. & S. would read {eukhrooi} (cf. "Pol.

Lac." v. 8). L. Dind. conj. {enrostoi}, "robust"; Schneid.

{eukhrestoi}, "serviceable."

On Horsemanship

The right method of breaking a colt needs no description at our

hands.[1] As a matter of state organisation,[2] cavalry duties usually

devolve upon those who are not stinted in means, and who have a

considerable share in the government;[3] and it seems far better for a

young man to give heed to his own health of body and to horsemanship, or,

if he already knows how to ride with skill, to practising manouvres, than

that he should set up as a trainer of horses.[4] The older man has his town

property and his friends, and the hundred-and- one concerns of state or of

war, on which to employ his time and energies rather than on

horsebreaking. It is plain then that any one holding my views[5] on the

subject will put a young horse out to be broken. But in so doing he ought

to draw up articles, just as a father does when he apprentices his son to

some art or handicraft, stating what sort of knowledge the young creature

is to be sent back possessed of. These will serve as indications[6] to the

trainer what points he must pay special heed to if he is to earn his fee. At

the same time pains should be taken on the owner's part to see that the colt

is gentle, tractable, and affectionate,[7] when delivered to the professional

trainer. That is a condition of things which for the most part may be

brought about at home and by the groom--if he knows how to let the

animal connect[8] hunger and thirst and the annoyance of flies with

solitude, whilst associating food and drink and escape from sources of

irritation with the presence of man. As the result of this treatment,

necessarily the young horse will acquire--not fondness merely, but an

absolute craving for human beings. A good deal can be done by touching,

stroking, patting those parts of the body which the creature likes to have so

handled. These are the hairiest parts, or where, if there is anything

annoying him, the horse can least of all apply relief himself.

[1] Or, "The training of the colt is a topic which, as it seems to us,

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OnHorsemanship1OnHorsemanshipByXenophonTranslationbyH.G.DakynsOnHorsemanship2IClaimingtohaveattainedsomeproficiencyinhorsemanship[1]ourselves,astheresultoflongexperienceinthefield,ourwishistoexplain,forthebenefitofouryoungerfriends,whatweconceivetobethemostcorrectmethodofdealingwithhorses.[1]Lit."Si...

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On Horsemanship(骑马术)

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