Hiero the Tyrant and Other Treatises (Penguin Classics) (18 page)

The usual way of getting a good war-horse to put on a grander and [1] more imposing display as it rides by is to pull at its mouth with the bit, spur it on and use a whip on it. These measures actually produce
the opposite of the desired splendid effect, so you should avoid them. [2] I mean, when the horse’s mouth is pulled up, it cannot see where it is going, the spur and whip startle it, and the upshot is that the horse gets all agitated and writhes about
^*
– which is the way a horse behaves [3] when it hates being ridden, and is ugly rather than attractive. However, if you teach it to ride on slack reins, to hold its head up high and arch its neck, you will be getting the horse to do exactly what gives it [4] pleasure and delight. You can tell that it enjoys this because when a horse wants to show off in front of other horses (especially female horses) it holds its head up high, arches its neck with a great deal of spirit, prances with supple legs raised high off the ground and lifts its [5] tail. So by making your horse hold itself exactly as it does when it is displaying itself at its best, you are giving people an impression of a horse that enjoys being ridden, and you are making it seem a grand, spirited and imposing animal. I shall now try to explain how, in my opinion, these results are to be obtained.

[6] In the first place, you should have at least two bits.
¹
One of them should be smooth and have good-sized discs, while the other should be rough and have heavy, small discs. The pimples of the rough bit should be sharp enough to hurt the horse when the bit is inserted into its mouth and make it drop the bit into place; when it is given the smooth one instead, then, it will be such a relief that it will carry out on the smooth bit everything it has been trained to do on the rough [7] bit. A possible problem, though, is that it may find the smoothness of a smooth bit too easy and keep leaning on it; that is why the smooth bit is equipped with large discs, which are designed to force the horse to open its jaws and let the bit drop into place. It is also possible to adapt the rough bit to other kinds of bit so that it acts by either compression or tension.
²

[8] Whatever kind of bit you use, it must be flexible. The trouble with a stiff bit is that whichever part of it is actually gripped by the horse, the whole of it is held against the horse’s jaws. Imagine a person picking up a spit: it is the whole spit he picks up, never mind at what [9] point of its length he actually takes hold of it. The other kind of bit, however, behaves like a chain in the sense that the only part of it to remain unbent is the part which is actually gripped, while the rest
hangs loosely off this part. The horse constantly tries to retrieve the parts of the bit that are evading its grip in its mouth, and in so doing it lets the bit drop from its jaws. That is also why there are rings fixed in between the axles, so that as the horse goes after these rings with its tongue and teeth it does not think of taking the bit up against its jaws.

In case anyone does not know what the terms ‘flexible’ and ‘stiff’ [10] mean when applied to bits, I had better explain this as well. A bit is flexible when the links on its axles are broad and smooth enough to bend easily; moreover, if all the parts that are fitted on to the axles have wide rather than restricted apertures, the bit is even more flexible.
^*
However, if it is hard for all the various parts of the bit to [11] communicate and interlock, the bit is stiff.

Whatever kind of bit you have, there is not the slightest difference in the use to which it has to be put if you want your horse to look impressive in the way I have described. The pressure on the horse’s [12] mouth should neither be so harsh that it tosses its head or so gentle that it does not notice it. As soon as it has raised its neck in response to the pressure, you must give it its head – remembering the general instruction, which I have given plenty of times already, that you should reward any instance of obedience on the part of the horse. So [13] when you can see that the horse is enjoying the upright carriage of its neck and the slackness of the reins, you should avoid the kind of harsh measures you use when you are forcing it to exert itself and just coax it as if you were planning to go for a normal ride. This is the best way to encourage a horse to move up to a fast pace.

It is easy to see that a horse relishes a fast pace, because there is not [14] a horse in the world that, given its freedom, ambles along at a walk rather than running. A horse instinctively enjoys a gallop, provided that it is not forced to gallop too much. After all, the same goes for a horse as for a human being: excess is never enjoyable.
³

So suppose our horse now has the ability to bear itself in a stately [15] manner. In the early stages of its training, as you will remember, we got it used to increasing its pace after coming out of turns.
⁴
If you rein in a horse that has been trained to do this and at the same time use one of the various signals to urge it forward, it finds itself restrained
by the bit and yet roused by the signal to go forward. In irritation, the horse throws out its chest and raises its legs high off the ground (but not in a supple manner, because a horse’s legs lose most of their [16] suppleness when it is disgruntled). If you let it have its head when it is in this excitable state, the relaxation of the bit will make it think you are no longer restraining it, and it will be so pleased that it will prance forward with a stately carriage and with supple legs, putting [17] on exactly the same kind of display it would before other horses. The sight of a horse behaving like this makes people think of it as a dignified creature, hardworking, a good ride, lively, proud, a joy to see and yet obviously full of spirit.
⁵

Anyway, that is enough on this topic for anyone who is interested in getting their horse to behave in this way.

[1] What if someone wants a flamboyant, prancing horse which is suitable for use in processions? You certainly should not expect every horse to be able to develop these attributes, but only one which starts off [2] with a proud temperament and a strong body. The idea that all it takes for any horse to be able to raise its body off the ground is supple legs is wrong; it is closer to the truth to say it takes loins that are supple, short and sturdy, and then a horse can bring its hind legs up a good distance under its forequarters. (Note that by ‘loins’ here I do not mean the part by the tail, but between the side and the haunches, [3] and by the flank.) So if you rein the horse in just when it is bringing up its hind legs, it will sink its haunches back on to its hocks and raise its forequarters until its belly and sheath are visible to anyone directly in front of it. At this point you should let it have its head, and then the onlookers will get the impression that the horse is performing this wonderful trick all by itself – and there is no more wonderful trick that a horse can perform.

[4] Now, some people train a horse to do this by hitting it with a switch under the hocks, and others get a man to run alongside the [5] horse and hit it with a stick under the gaskins. However, to repeat
myself yet again, I think the best form of training is if every occasion when the horse does what the rider wants it to do is followed by him allowing it to rest. The point is, as Simon says too, that when a horse [6] acts under compulsion it does not understand what it is doing, and the action is just as inelegant as a dancer’s movements would be if he were trained by whip and spur. Under that kind of regime the same goes for a horse as a human being: both of them are far more likely to look ugly than attractive. No, however dazzling and attractive a display the horse is required to put on, it always has to do so of its own accord, acting only on the aids the rider gives it. So if you [7] take the horse out for a hard ride, until it has worked up a good sweat,
^*
wait for the moment when it has adopted a beautiful prancing movement and then quickly dismount and remove its bridle, I can assure you that the horse will progress on to prancing of its own accord.

When artists portray gods and heroes on horseback, this is the [8] posture they give the horses,
¹
and it makes a splendid impression when men can get their horses to adopt it. In fact, the sight of a prancing [9] horse is so fine, or perhaps frightening or wonderful or amazing,
^*
that people of all ages can only stop and stare at it. I mean, no one can tear himself away or gets tired of watching a horse, as long as it is giving such a dazzling display.

If it so happens that the owner of a magnificent horse like this [10] becomes a commander of a tribal regiment or a commander of the whole cavalry, it is far more important for him to ensure that all the troops under his command create an eye-catching spectacle, rather than concentrating on making himself the only smart one.
²
So if a [11] cavalry regiment is being led by a horse which perfectly exemplifies all the qualities for which people praise this kind of horse
^*
– that is, a horse with a particularly high and frequent prancing step, which covers hardly any distance at all – obviously all the rest of the horses will follow it at a walking pace as well. Now, would there be anything impressive in such a sight? However, if you urge your horse on and [12] lead at a pace which is neither too fast nor too slow – that is, if you adopt the pace which shows off spirited horses at their liveliest and best – there will be such consistent clopping behind you, and such
solid neighing and snorting, that the whole regiment, rather than just you alone, will make a remarkable spectacle.

[13] If you go about buying horses properly, if you bring them up so that they are capable of enduring hard physical work, and if you manage them correctly during their battle-training, when exercising them for parades and during actual warfare, nothing but supernatural intervention
³
could stop you increasing the value of your horses beyond what they were worth when you got them, and could prevent you from owning famous horses and becoming a famous expert at horsemanship yourself.

[1] I would like to add some words on what arms and armour you should have if you intend to face danger on horseback.
¹

In the first place, then, you should, I think, have a breastplate made for your trunk. Now, a well-fitting breastplate can be supported by the whole trunk,
^*
but all the weight of one that is too loose falls on the shoulders, and one that is too tight is a straitjacket rather than a piece of armour.
²

[2] Since the neck is one of the vital parts of the body, you should have a covering made for it as well, in my opinion. It should emerge out of the breastplate and conform to the contours of the neck. That way it will not be merely decorative and, if properly made, it will encase the rider’s face all the way round to his nose, should he want it to.

[3] The best kind of helmet, to my mind, is the Boeotian type, because while it too covers the parts above the breastplate – in fact, does so better than any other type – it does not restrict the wearer’s vision.
³

The breastplate too should be made in such a way that it does not [4] stop you either sitting down or bending over. The flaps should be large enough and of a suitable material to afford the region of the lower abdomen, genitals and thereabouts
^*
protection against missiles.

[5] A wound even to the left hand will incapacitate a cavalryman, so I recommend the piece of armour which is known as the ‘arm’ and
is specially made for the left arm. The value of this piece of armour is that it protects the shoulder, the upper arm, the forearm and as much of the hand as is involved in holding the reins, and it can be stretched and bent. It also covers the gap in the breastplate under the armpit.

The right arm has to be raised in order to throw a javelin and [6] deliver a blow. So the part of the breastplate which impedes this should be removed and replaced by hinged flaps designed to open up when the arm is raised and close when it is lowered. For the arm the [7] kind of armour which is separately fastened on like a greave seems to me preferable to the kind that is attached to another piece of armour.
^*
The part of the body that is exposed when the right arm is raised should be covered near the breastplate by either calf-skin or metal, or else the body will be unprotected at its most vital point.

Since a wound to the horse endangers the rider’s life too, the horse [8] must be protected by armour as well. It should have a head-piece, a chest-piece and side-pieces
^*
(which will also act as thigh-pieces for the rider). But the most important part of the horse’s body to protect is the flank, which is simultaneously the most vital part and the most vulnerable. The horse-cloth can be made to cover the flanks as well, [9] but the design of any blanket that is used in this way should be such that it affords the rider a safer seat and at the same time does not hurt the horse’s back.

So nearly all of both the horse’s and the rider’s bodies will be protected by armour. The rider’s shins and feet, however, will probably [10] stick out beyond the thigh-pieces, but they can be protected too, by buskins made out of the same kind of leather as boots, which can act at one and the same time as protection for the shins and as footwear.

As long as the gods are looking kindly on you, with this armour [11] you should avoid injury. As for offensive weapons, I recommend a sabre rather than a sword, because from the height of a horse’s back the cut of a sabre will serve you better than the thrust of a sword. And instead of a cane-shafted spear (which is weak, and awkward to [12] carry as well), I recommend two cornel-wood javelins, because once you know how to use them it is possible to have hurled one and to use the other against adversaries in front or behind or to either side
of you. They are also less fragile than a spear, and easier to carry too.
⁴

[13] It is a good idea, to my mind, to throw your javelin from as far away as possible, because this gives you more time to wheel your horse around and take hold of the other javelin. Here, in a few words, is the best way of throwing a javelin: thrust your left arm forward, draw your right arm back, raise yourself up off the horse’s back from your thighs and then throw the javelin. If you throw it with the point at a slight upward angle it will fly furthest and with the most power, and you will of course achieve the greatest accuracy if you keep the point directed at the target at the moment of release.

[14] The notes, instructions and exercises I have written down here are intended for the use of a non-professional. I have explained in another treatise what information and practices are relevant for a cavalry commander.

1. Poll
   
2. Forelock
   
3. Nostril
   
4. Neck
   
5. Shoulder
   
6. Chest
   
7. Thigh below the shoulder
   
8. Knee
   
9. Shank
   
10. Cannon bone
    
11. Hoof
    
12. Fetlock
    
13. Belly
    
14. Side
    
15. Sheath
    
16. Hock
    
17. Gaskin or thigh below the tail
    
18. Tail
    
19. Haunch
    
20. Flank
    
21. Loins
    
22. Spine
    
23. Seat
    
24. Withers
    
25. Mane
    

The points of a horse mentioned by Xenophon