h him with the spur at the critical
instant. In the effort to perform any of these actions with the whole
body, the horse will certainly perform them with more safety to himself
and to his rider than he will, if his hind-quarters lag, in taking a
ditch or fence, or in making an upward spring or downward jump. (4)

(4) Lit. "in making these jumps, springs, and leaps across or up or
down."

To face a steep incline, you must first teach him on soft ground, and
finally, when he is accustomed to that, he will much prefer the downward
to the upward slope for a fast pace. And as to the apprehension, which
some people entertain, that a horse may dislocate the shoulder in
galloping down an incline, it should encourage them to learn that the
Persians and Odrysians all run races down precipitous slopes; (5) and
their horses are every bit as sound as our own. (6)

(5) Cf. "Anab." IV. viii. 28; and so the Georgians to this day
(Chardin ap. Courier, op. cit. p. 70, n. 1).

(6) Lit. "as are those of the Hellenes."

Nor must we omit another topic: how the rider is to accommodate himself
to these several movements. (7) Thus, when the horse breaks off into a
gallop, the rider ought to bend forward, since the horse will be less
likely to slip from under; and so to pitch his rider off. So again in
pulling him up short (8) the rider should lean back; and thus escape a
shock. In leaping a ditch or tearing up a steep incline, it is no bad
plan to let go the reins and take hold of the mane, so that the animal
may not feel the burthen of the bit in addition to that of the ground.
In going down a steep incline the rider must throw himself right back
and hold in the horse with the bit, to prevent himself being hurled
headforemost down the slope himself if not his horse.

(7) Or, "to each set of occurrences."

(8) Al. "when the horse is being brought to a poise" (Morgan); and see
Hermann ap. Schneid., {analambanein} = retinere equum, anhalten,
pariren. i.e. "rein in" of the "Parade."

It is a correct principle to vary these exercises, which should be gone
through sometimes in one place and sometimes in another, and should
sometimes be shorter and sometimes longer in duration. The horse will
take much more kindly to them if you do not confine him to one place and
one routine.

Since it is a matter of prime necessity that the rider should keep his
seat, while galloping full speed on every sort of ground, and at the
sa