02/03/2024
XENOPHON – ON HORSES
Xenophon, a Greek soldier, historian, essayist, philosopher, and horseman, (431-354 B. C.) was born to a well to do Athenian family and was a student of one of the fathers of Greek Philosophy: Socrates.
He was also responsible for one of the oldest treaties on horses and horsemanship. His famous book Περ ὶ ἱ ππικ ῆ ς (peri hippikēs) – ‘On horsemanship’ was a huge contribution to horsemanship. The work shares his experience and insight for the selection, care, and training of horses. His advice notes the importance of understanding behavior, the importance of welfare, and the general well-being of horses.
Over 2000 years have passed, and his advice has stood the test of time. Unfortunately, although many consider him the father of horsemanship, especially among many elitist riders, his timeless advice remains highly ignored in the same modern equestrian circles that praise him.
Below we include some of his observations in quotes. These are headed with our own summarized titling:
Graceful handling is majesty itself.
“The majesty of men themselves is best discovered in the graceful handling of such animals.”
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No Hoof no horse.
“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, if unsound in his feet, however excellent his other points; since he could not turn a single one of them to good account.”
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Reinforce wanted behavior, Do not reinforce unwanted behavior.
“At the same time pains should be taken on the owner’s part to see that the c**t is gentle, tractable, and affectionate 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 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.”
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Desensitize gently
“The groom should have standing orders to take his charge through crowds, and to make him familiar with all sorts of sights and noises; and if the c**t shows sign of apprehension at them, he must teach him — not by cruel, but by gentle handling — that they are not really formidable.”
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Revise hoofs frequently
“But if food and exercise with a view to strengthening the horse’s body are matters of prime consideration, no less important is it to pay attention to the feet. A stable with a damp and smooth floor will spoil the best hoof which nature can give.”
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Be aware of your emotional disposition. Be calm, be soft, and be gentle.
"The one best precept — the golden rule — in dealing with a horse is never to approach him angrily. Anger is so devoid of forethought that it will often drive a man to do things which in a calmer mood he will regret.Thus, when a horse is shy of any object and refuses to approach it, you must teach him that there is nothing to be alarmed at, particularly if he be a plucky animal; or, failing that, touch the formidable object yourself, and then gently lead the horse up to it. The opposite plan of forcing the frightened creature by blows only intensifies its fear, the horse mentally associating the pain he suffers at such a moment with the object of suspicion, which he naturally regards as its cause.”
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Against pulling on the bit, spurring or whipping!
“But possibly you are not content with a horse serviceable for war. You want to find him a showy, attractive animal, with a certain grandeur of bearing. If so, you must abstain from pulling at his mouth with the bit, or applying the spur and whip — methods commonly adopted by people with a view to a fine effect, though, as a matter of fact, they thereby achieve the very opposite of what they are aiming at. That is to say, by dragging the mouth up they render the horse blind instead of alive to what is in front of him; and what with spurring and whipping they distract the creature to the point of absolute bewilderment and danger.”
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Reinforcing through rest and relaxation.
“For ourselves, however, far the best method of instruction, as we keep repeating, is to let the horse feel that whatever he does in obedience to the rider’s wishes will be followed by some rest and relaxation.”
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Grace and beauty over clumsy gestures
“To quote a dictum of Simon, what a horse does under compulsion he does blindly, and his performance is no more beautiful than would be that of a ballet-dancer taught by whip and goad. The performances of horse or man so treated would seem to be displays of clumsy gestures rather than of grace and beauty. What we need is that the horse should of his own accord exhibit his finest airs and paces at set signals.”
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I often wonder why horsemanship in general has largely ignored his sagely advice.
Why do you think much of what he suggests has been ignored?
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This is an excerpt from our original 2015 article, where you will find references and a few more quotes. You can read more on our site here:
https://equilibregaia.wordpress.com/2015/10/05/xenophon-on-horses/
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