On the Art of Horsemanship

Books

• 1
  Book 1

  Buying a horse. What to look for in conformation, temperament, and soundness. How to avoid being cheated.

  18 lines
• 2
  Book 2

  The young horse. How to handle a colt, earn its trust, and begin its training without force or cruelty.

  5 lines
• 3
  Book 3

  Breaking to ride. The first mounting, the first walk, the first canter. Patience and consistency are everything.

  12 lines
• 4
  Book 4

  Buying a trained horse. How to assess its training, test its mouth, and judge its temperament under saddle.

  5 lines
• 5
  Book 5

  The stable. Flooring, bedding, and how the stable design affects the horse's feet. Practical details from a horseman who has managed his own stables.

  10 lines
• 6
  Book 6

  Grooming and hoof care. The groom's daily duties and the importance of foot maintenance. 'No foot, no horse' is as old as horsemanship itself.

  16 lines
• 7
  Book 7

  Mounting and the seat. How to mount correctly (on the left side), how to sit, and how to balance at all gaits.

  19 lines
• 8
  Book 8

  The use of the bit and reins. The contact should be light and consistent. A horse ridden on a hard hand will fight; one ridden on a soft hand will listen.

  14 lines
• 9
  Book 9

  Training for collection and display. How to produce the high-stepping, arched-neck carriage that Greeks admired. The horse should appear to perform willingly.

  12 lines
• 10
  Book 10

  Riding on rough ground and in war. How to gallop uphill and downhill, jump ditches, and handle a spear from horseback.

  17 lines
• 11
  Book 11

  The war horse. Training for battle: not to shy at noise, to charge on command, to stop instantly. The rider's weapons and their use from the saddle.

  13 lines
• 12
  Book 12

  Xenophon's closing advice. The best horseman makes the horse want to cooperate. Force produces obedience; understanding produces brilliance.

  14 lines