A Year of Horse Books: Xenophon On Horsemanship - reviewed by Katherine Roberts

Xenophon grew up in Athens and served in the Greek cavalry a few years before the birth of Alexander the Great. In his retirement, he wrote what is considered to be the first book on horsemanship, which I found useful when I was writing "I am the Great Horse", although I don't claim to have read it in the original ancient Greek! Fortunately translations exist, and I chose 'The Art of Horsemanship' translated from by M H Morgan for its layman's approach to the text rather than being aimed exclusively at scholars of the period.

The Art of Horsemanship

This neat little book includes Xenophon's original Treatise on Horsemanship, together with an essay on the Greek Riding Horse, closing with a chapter describing the characteristics of a good horse according to 10 prominent Greek and Roman writers of the time. A series of notes at the end provide fascinating detail to the equestrian, such as the type of bit used in the horse's mouth for everyday riding (smooth) or battle (rough, presumably for more control when your life depends on your mount's instant obedience!). The text is further enhanced by illustrations featuring equines from the ancient world.

It seems that horsemanship (and horses) have not changed very much at all over the centuries, making the majority of Xenophon's advice on their care and riding equally valid today. In his Treatise, you will find advice on buying a horse without being cheated, its training, grooming and harness, as well as riding - which, for the ancient Greeks, was mainly focused on riding into battle, although horses that looked good on parade were also in great demand. We just need to remember that riders did not use stirrups in Xenophon's time (stirrups were not in general use until the 4th century AD) so his advice on mounting, for example, includes 'vaulting on from a spear' and also training the horse to 'settle down' so its rider can mount more easily. Since the ancient Greeks did not shoe their horses, I found his advice on hoof care particularly interesting, with large round pebbles recommended to keep a horse's (unshod) hooves strong and sound, rather like the traditional cobbles seen in older stables and on roads once used by horse-drawn traffic in the UK.

Danger of injury aside, horses were usually treated well in the ancient world, as they were valuable animals costing about the same as a house at the time. Their owners were usually rich citizens who could afford to employ grooms, as suggested in Xenophon's chapter on training the unbroken colt, where he advises that the young horse should be 'put out' to a horse trainer, leaving its owner free to attend to more important matters, such as government, family, and military duties.

Xenophon begins his treatise: "It has been my fortune to spend a great deal of time in riding, and so I think myself versed in the horseman's art." And he certainly wrote from experience, having travelled almost three thousand miles on horseback in little more than a year as part of an expedition known as the March of the Ten Thousand to help Prince Cyrus press his claim to the Persian throne. This rather ill-fated mission is detailed in his better known work Anabasis, of which there are several translations available, though purists can also find it in Ancient Greek. Enjoy. :-)

Xenophon's Anabasis

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Katherine Roberts writes fantasy and historical fiction for young readers. If you are a fan of the ancient world, her Seven Fabulous Wonders series contains enough adventure and magic to keep fluent readers aged 10+ happy. For older readers with an interest in horses and history, her epic novel "I am the Great Horse" tells the story of Alexander the Great straight from the horse's mouth.

I am the Great Horse

Find out more about Katherine's books on her website www.katherineroberts.co.uk