a sense of weariness in the horse, and
so to tame him, his expectation will not be justified by the result; for
under such circumstances a spirited horse will do his best to carry the
day by main force, (5) and with a show of temper, like a passionate man,
may contrive to bring on himself and his rider irreparable mischief.

(3) Or, "long stretches rather than a succession of turns and counter
turns," {apostrophai}.

(4) Reading {katapsosi} with L. Dind.

(5) {agein bia}, vi agere, vi uti, Sturz; al. "go his own gait by
sheer force."

A spirited horse should be kept in check, so that he does not dash off
at full speed; and on the same principle, you should absolutely abstain
from setting him to race against another; as a general rule, your
fiery-spirited horse is only too fond of contention. (6)

(6) Reading {skhedon gar kai phil oi thum}, or if {... oi thil kai
th.} transl. "the more eager and ambitious a horse is, the more
mettlesome he will tend to become."

Smooth bits are better and more serviceable than rough; if a rough bit
be inserted at all, it must be made to resemble a smooth one as much as
possible by lightness of hand.

It is a good thing also for the rider to accustom himself to keep a
quiet seat, especially when mounted on a spirited horse; and also to
touch him as little as possible with anything except that part of the
body necessary to secure a firm seat.

Again, it should be known that the conventional "chirrup" (7) to quiet
and "cluck" to rouse a horse are a sort of precept of the training
school; and supposing any one from the beginning chose to associate soft
soothing actions with the "cluck" sound, and harsh rousing actions
with the "chirrup," the horse could be taught to rouse himself at the
"chirrup" and to calm himself at the "cluck" sound. On this principle,
at the sound of the trumpet or the shout of battle the rider should
avoid coming up to his charger in a state of excitement, or, indeed,
bringing any disturbing influence to bear on the animal. As far
as possible, at such a crisis he should halt and rest him; and, if
circumstances permit, give him his morning or his evening meal. But the
best advice of all is not to get an over-spirited horse for the purposes
of war.

(7) Al. "whistling," and see Berenger, ii. 68. {poppusmos}, a sound
from the lips; {klogmos}, from the cheek.

As to the sluggish type of animal, I need only suggest to do everything
the