What to look for in a horse; On horsemanship; Xenophon

Why you might read On Horsemanship?

On Horsemanship is one of the earliest works on horsemanship. It gives us insight into the choosing and training of horses in ancient Greece. Its author was an avid horseman often commanding troops from horseback. But Xenophon has another book on the cavalry commander. It is easy enough to follow even for someone who knows nothing about horses.

Synopsis of On Horsemanship

This book gives a detailed analysis of how to choose an unbroken horse. What to look for both in temperament and physically. He then also gives advice on buying a horse that has already been broken and ridden. Finally, he explains how to train a horse for war and for the parade.

Reflections on On Horsemanship

Like I said it is easy enough to read even for a person who knows nothing about horses. It is not overly technical but in places, it is a bit vague and I would not know how to implement what he suggests.

The differences between what to look for between the unbroken to the broken horse. Of course, a lot of it is the difference based on being able to test the broken horse. In the broken case there is less about the physicality of the horse.

What others have to say about On Horsemanship

"Xenophon intended the concise On Horsemanship, above all, to be practical — a work of applied theory. Neither geography nor overall military strategy, that is, predisposed ancient Greece to practising mounted warfare or to developing advanced cavalry tactics, so despite the status of Athenian cavalry as “a corps d’élite,”" From Horse Talk

"It is the first work known to emphasise training techniques that take account of the horse's psyche as well as his physical condition." From Local Riding

Comparisons with other texts

Being the first book on horsemanship leaves little to compare with content-wise. This leaves me with only the craftsmanship to comment on.

Like Apology, this is an easy read. In both Xenophon is concise while still explaining his point in enough detail for the reader to get his point. Both works do not assume that the reader has much in the way of prior knowledge.

Conclusion

 A simple read. It gives insight into the ancient Greek way of horsemanship and the training of horses for war. Written in such a way as to be understandable to the layman as well as the one who knows horses. 

Have you read On Horsemanship? If so what did you think of it? 

 

Want to read On Horsemanship but haven't? Please leave me a comment and let me know why you want to read it.

Hopefully, this post inspires you to take the time to look into it on your own journey of Self Education.

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