CHAPTER XXI 



BREAKING AND RIDING 



More works have been published on breaking 

 than the average reader would believe, and 

 Xenophon's, though written so long ago, is about 

 the best. But times have changed since he 

 wrote. Stirrups have been invented, and the 

 ephippiwn discarded for the up-to-date saddle. 

 Therefore Xenophon's treatise on " The Art of 

 Horsemanship " is chiefly useful to us, as show- 

 ing that the ancients knew how to ride, and could 

 also write about horses and give valuable hints 

 on stable-management which are of great practical 

 value to us to-day. 



You cannot learn to ride from a book. To 

 attempt to would be waste of time. Nor can 

 you become a good horseman or horsewoman 

 even by practice, unless you have been well 

 taught ; and you must begin young in order to 

 excel, unless you are a phenomenon in equine 

 matters, for it is useless to lay down any laws 

 to keep genius within bounds. 



People generally ride in harmony with the 

 manner in which they are built. If lithe and 

 elegant, with plenty of practice and good tuition, 

 their litheness and elegance will be noticeable in 

 their horsemanship. Ungraceful people cannot 



