s horse."

(13) {sobaron}, "what a push and swagger"; {kai ama edun te kai gorgon
idein}, "a la fois doux et terrible a voir," see Victor
Cherbuliez, "Un Cheval de Phidias," p. 148.

Thus far on this topic; these notes may serve perhaps to meet a special
need.

XI

If, however, the wish is to secure a horse adapted to parade and state
processions, a high stepper and a showy (1) animal, these are qualities
not to be found combined in every horse, but to begin with, the animal
must have high spirit and a stalwart body. Not that, as some think, a
horse with flexible legs will necessarily be able to rear his body. What
we want is a horse with supple loins, and not supple only but short and
strong (I do not mean the loins towards the tail, but by the belly the
region between the ribs and thighs). That is the horse who will be
able to plant his hind-legs well under the forearm. If while he is so
planting his hind-quarters, he is pulled up with the bit, he lowers his
hind-legs on his hocks (2) and raises the forepart of his body, so that
any one in front of him will see the whole length of his belly to the
sheath. (3) At the moment the horse does this, the rider should give
him the rein, so that he may display the noblest feats which a horse can
perform of his own free will, to the satisfaction of the spectators.

(1) {lampros}. Cf. Isae. xi. 41 ("On the estate of Hagnias"), Lys.
xix. 63 ("de Bon. Arist.").

(2) See Berenger, ii. 68.

(3) Lit. "testicles."

There are, indeed, other methods of teaching these arts. (4) Some do so
by touching the horse with a switch under the hocks, others employ an
attendant to run alongside and strike the horse with a stick under the
gaskins. For ourselves, however, far the best method of instruction, (5)
as we keep repeating, is to let the horse feel that whatever he does
in obedience to the rider's wishes will be followed by some rest and
relaxation.

(4) Lit. "People, it must be admitted, claim to teach these arts in
various ways--some by... others by bidding..."

(5) Reading {didaskalion}, al. {didaskalion}, "systems." Schneid. cf.
Herod. v. 58.

To quote a dictum of Simon, what a horse does under compulsion he does
blindly, and his performance is no more beautiful than would be that of
a ballet-dancer taught by whip and goad. The performances of horse or
man so treated would seem to be displays of clumsy gestures rather than
of grace and beauty.