Quote Of The Day – Xenophon
Posted by rji | Filed under General Info, Worth Mentioning
If one induces the horse to assume that carriage which it would adopt of its own accord when displaying its beauty, then, one directs the horse to appear joyous and magnificent, proud and remarkable for having been ridden.
Xenophon
The first work written on what is considered to be classical dressage was Xenophon's On Horsemanship.Written in 360 BC, the work of the Athenian cavalryman Xenophon is the oldest known text on horse riding still in existence.It is the first work known to emphasise training techniques that take account of the horse's psyche as well as his physical condition.
In some cases he uses descriptions that you would see in books today: his careful description of how to put a bridle on a horse is almost word for word what we are taught 2,500 years later!
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