Xenophon"s Basic Training Principles *

I
Your horse should be your trusted friend, not your slave!

II
Dedicate as much attention to its education as if it was your own son. See that your horse's body and soul are trained carefully. It should distinguish itself by capacity and reliability. It should be most important to you to influence and shape its character! Form it from its first days of life on, so that it trusts, respects and obeys you. Make it friendly to humans! It should really love you.

III
Help it to find joy in working and obey of its own will!

IV
Be careful and respect its needs!

V
Try the hardest to make the horse understand you. It should understand your "language"! Reward and punishment are the only means of education. But reward has total priority. Reward every special achievement and every progress in learning - best, by giving it a break or ending work.

VI
Never bore your horse! Vary the work, give it different tasks. Do not only ride inside the arena, but train it outdoors, in jumping and hunting.

VII
Work on your own physical and mental schooling! Try to sit correctly, independent from the horse's movement, which allows you to influence the horse in every exercise, at every speed and everywhere in a controlled way.

Your hand must never disturb the horse in the mouth. Educate yourself to keep calm in all circumstances and control your emotions. Do not give room to outbursts of fury

VIII
Mach dir klar, dass die Lektionen der höheren Dressur keine Kunststücke sind, die du deinem Pferd mit Hilfe unnatürlicher Zwangsmittel beibringen kannst. Sie sind Formen der imponierenden Selbstdarstellung des Pferdes, die es in besonderen Erregungszuständen vor seinen Artgenossen von sich aus zeigt.

IX
Your horse should feel joy when working and express excitement in its movements and attitude.

X
Never bore your horse! Vary the work, give it different tasks. Do not only ride inside the arena, but train it outdoors, in jumping and hunting.

* With friendly permission of the author Dr. Klaus Widdra
and Mrs. Isabella Sonntag, editor of the publishing house Wu Wei Verlag e.K.
www.wu-wei-verlag.com