72 THE HORSE IN HISTORY 



of" saddle " horses had become quite common, at 

 least amongst the Romans. Among German tribes 

 the use of any sort of covering was still not merely- 

 laughed to scorn, but deemed to be actually 

 effeminate, disgraceful and a mark of laziness. 



To do the Germans justice, they thoroughly 

 acted up to their theory in this connection, for 

 never, when riding bareback, did they fear to at- 

 tack cavalry equipped with the horsecloth termed 

 an ephippion, which means literally a horse cover. 



Referring again to war chariots, Diodorus tells 

 us almost in so many words that the Celts of Gaul 

 and of Northern Italy went to war in two-horse 

 chariots down to quite a late date, after the 

 manner of the Homeric Acheans. These chariots 

 held each two warriors, or a warrior and a 

 charioteer. One of the occupants first hurled 

 a spear at the enemy and then quickly alighted 

 to finish the attack on foot ; the other occupant 

 managed the car. 



Though Horace himself was not a practical 

 horseman, the views which he expressed upon 

 the subject of horses and of horsemanship are 

 for the most part admirable. In common with 

 Xenophon he deemed good hoofs to be an 

 essential. Listen to the following rather amus- 

 ing though at the same time quite sensible 

 observations uttered by Horace in one of his 

 famous " Satires " : — 



" Swells," he writes, "when they buy horses, 



