The Art of Horsemanship
Posted on Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 at 6:14 am
Product Description
“The Art of Horsemanship” by Xenophon is the first ever book of its kind on selecting, training and riding horses. Eloquently written by an articulate ancient Greek horseman, “The Art of Horsemanship” is a quick read but entertaining and enlightening. This English translation is very fluid and easy to understand. Xenophon covers all the basics of horse husbandry that are still followed 2500 years later. If you are thinking of owning or training a horse, “The Art of Horsemanship” is a good place to start. For those of us who have the twin passions of horses and history, this book is fascinating to read. Xenophon speaks like trainers today who are “training gentle”. There are differences of course because his main thrust is a trustworthy mount for a cavalry that did not use saddles. His affection for the animals is apparent from the opening page. This book would be of interest to anyone who is in love with horses, or would like a fuller understanding of the ancient use of cavalry.
There are no easy buttons with horses. Some of the things is this book can make a huge difference in your relationship with your horse. Time and patience are still best.
Rating: 4 / 5
If more people took the time to educate themselves about horses and horsemanship in general and Xenophone’s book in particular, perhaps we not see so many “show horses” of various popular breeds so physically manipulated by in breeding for only one or two specific traits rather than breeding for the whole horse. What was true in Ancient Greece is truer still today – without good feet, balance in the body and common sense a horse is worthless. Bravo to Amazon for bringing us this excellent book dirt cheap!
Rating: 5 / 5
Another very old book that seems to still ring true. His methods do seem to apply mostly to horses of war, yet, a great overall view of training. Especially for the great price and Xenophone being referred to, still, by so many highly regarded trainers. In my opinion, it is worth the time and effort.
Rating: 5 / 5
I had a good time reading through this reprint of Morris Morgan’s 1893 translation of Xenophon’s “The Art of Horsemanship” (350 BC). Unlike many of the other ancient Greek translations and authors, this one is very easy to read.
The text itself is fairly short and reads quickly, sprinkled with wisdom. After the text is another short portion from 1893, which talks about “The Greek Riding-Horse”, based on Xenophon and all the other available sources. Additionally, the footnotes to the text are quite interesting–I read them, for the most part, en block after reading the text.
As the title implies, the text is a very hands-on, practical guide to “everything you need to know” about how to take care of and look good riding a horse, reading like a “Horsemanship for Dummies” book. If you’re interested in Ancient Greece and horses, you’ve got to read this short “instruction manual”, though if you’re only interested in the ancients, it’s still fun to breeze through this text, nevertheless.
Rating: 5 / 5
Xenophon’s philosophy and many techniques, though tailored for the development of a war-horse, demonstrate the ageless capacity for human empathy toward the horse. The horse centered work makes the goal of a harmonious partnership attainable. The book interweaves aspects of barn management, riding technique, and early human psychological insights. The translation keeps this work relevant and vibrant. The overriding theme is one of responsibility for the education and wellbeing of the horse. It is, if nothing else, a comfort to read that some horses in the ancient world were treated humanely in the training process…even if under the unfortunate auspices of a warrior culture. Kurt Hartle, Reydon,Suffolk. UK
Rating: 5 / 5