on their back to harm the enemy, but will
often take him by surprize, and expose him to great danger. We must
also learn whether the horse has anything of vice either toward other
horses or toward men, and whether he is averse to being handled; for
all such defects are troublesome to his owner.

As to any reluctance to being bridled and mounted, and other tricks, a
person will much sooner discover them if, when the horse has been
thoroughly exercised, he attempt to do to him what he did before he
began to ride him; since horses that, after having been exercised, are
ready to submit to exercise again give sufficient proofs of a
mettlesome spirit.

To sum up all in a few words, whatever horse has good feet, is
mild-tempered, sufficiently swift, is willing and able to endure
fatigue, and is in the highest degree obedient will probably give
least trouble to his rider, and contribute most to his safety in
military occupations. But horses that from sluggishness require a
great deal of driving or, from excess of mettle, much coaxing and
care, afford plenty of employment to the rider, as well as much
apprehension in time of danger....

We shall now show how a man may groom a horse with least danger to
himself and most benefit to the animal. If, when he cleans him, he
look the same way as the horse, there is danger that he may be struck
in the face with his knee or his hoof. But if he look in the opposite
direction to the horse when he cleans him, keeping himself out of the
reach of his leg, and rubs gradually down by the shoulder, he will
thus receive no injury, and may clean the frog of the horse's foot by
turning up the hoof. In like manner let him clean the hind legs.

But whoever is employed about a horse ought to know that to do these
things, and everything else that he has to do, he must come as little
as possible near the face and the tail; for if a horse be inclined to
be vicious, he has in both these parts the advantage of the man. But a
person who approaches him at the side may manage the horse with least
danger to himself, and with most power over the beast.

When we have to lead a horse, we do not approve of the practise of
leading from behind, for these reasons: that the person leading the
horse is thus least able to keep on his guard against him, and the
horse has most liberty to do what he pleases. To the mode, again, of
conducting him with a long rein, to teach him to go forward and take
the lead, we objec