Xenophon "On Horsemanship" Dressage Training Thoughts

Although Xenophon lived 2500 years ago his “ON HORSEMANSHIP” is as timely now as it was then. The way a horse thinks and behaves is the same now as it was then. The difference is that in 350 BC a person’s relationship with their horse was often the deciding factor whether the person would live or die. Hence, a great deal of thought and action was given to every detail of the horse’s care & education. Since we’re beginning a New Year, let’s take this opportunity to review the work of Xenophon & take it to heart in our dealings with our horses every day!

Your horse should be your loyal friend, not a slave. Teach you horse as if it was your child. Work to develop your horse’s body & soul. Your goal for your horse is to continually improve his capacity to perform & his reliability. Imprinting & influencing your horse’s character must be a priority, this work must begin as early as possible to teach your horse to trust, respect, & obey you. Your horse should ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOU!!!!

Take the time to teach your horse to LOVE working with you so that he will voluntarily obey you!


Always be cautious and considerate of your horses needs. Yes, that probably means you will have to invest substantial resources to accomplish this goal. Excellent care for your horse will require time for work, and money to purchase what he needs, food, hay, bedding, vet, dentist, worming,farrier,supplements, clothes, etc………and time to care for him, grooming, riding, turning out, maintaining a stall for his rest, the list goes on & on………..be prepared to work hard for good results!

Invest the time to develop a verbal language with your horse so that you can communicate easily, he needs to be able to understand you, keep it simple. In order for your horse to excel & be happy he needs to have consistent boundaries at ALL TIMES. Poor behavior must be immediately corrected, a simple but stern, “NO” should suffice in most cases. However, POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR IS ALWAYS THE TOP PRIORITY. Reward every good performance & every progress in training/learning. When he works well, give him a short break from the work, or stop working altogether

Keep your horse interested in his work by giving him different stimulus. Include as many different types of situations as possible in his work. Get him out of the ring, ride cross country, do cavaletti, run, jump, and hunt, and challenge him while he has FUN!!! All work & no play makes your horse dull………

In order to help your horse you must work on training your own body & character! Make every effort to learn a correct, independent seat. This will allow you to guide your horse in every exercise & situation. YOUR HAND MUST NEVER DISTURB THE HORSE’S MOUTH.
Train yourself to stay calm in every situation, and to control your emotions. NEVER allow yourself to lose your temper or become impatient with your horse.


Realize that dressage “movements” aren’t tricks you can teach your horse to do by force or unnatural means of coercion. These movements are the horse’s impressive form of self-expression which he shows to other horses when he’s especially excited!

Your horse should experience joy in his work. His expression & posture should reveal his enthusiasm.

Don’t try to collect & elevate your horse with backward riding or a strong bit, or any other type of coercion. Ride decisively forward with lightly applied reins, always yielding the reins at the appropriate moment. (In other words, NO ROLLKUR!!!!!)