§1.16ὡς δʼ ἂν καὶ οἱ πόδες εἶεν τῷ ἵππῳ κράτιστοι, εἰ μέν τις ἄλλην ἔχει ῥᾴω καὶ εὐτελεστέραν ἄσκησιν, ἐκείνη ἔστω· εἰ δὲ μή, ἐγώ φημι χρῆναι πεῖραν ἔχων χύδην καταβαλόντα λίθους τῶν ἐκ τῆς ὁδοῦ ὅσον μνααίους καὶ πλέον καὶ μεῖον ἐν τούτοις τὸν ἵππον καὶ ψήχειν καὶ ἐνιστάναι ὅταν ἀπὸ τῆς φάτνης ἀποβῇ· βαδίζων γὰρ ἐν τοῖς λίθοις οὔποτε ὁ ἵππος παύσεται οὔθʼ ὅταν ψήχηται οὔθʼ ὅταν μυωπίζηται.
In order that the feet of the horse may be strongest, if anyone has another training method that is easier and cheaper, let that be used; if not, I say, speaking from experience, that one should throw down in a heap stones from the road weighing about a mina, more or less, and make the horse stand on them and groom him there whenever he leaves the manger; for by walking on the stones, the horse will never stop moving his feet, either when being groomed or when being stung by flies.
ὁ δὲ πειραθεὶς τά τε ἄλλα ἃ λέγω πιστεύσει καὶ στρογγύλους τοὺς πόδας τοῦ ἵππου ὄψεται.
Anyone who tries this will believe the other things I say, and will see the horse's hooves become round.
§1.17ὁπότε γε μὴν οἱ ἵπποι εἰσὶν οἵους δεῖ, ὡς ἂν αὐτοὶ οἱ ἱππεῖς ἄριστοι γίγνοιντο, τοῦτο διηγήσομαι.
When the horses are of the right kind, I will next describe how the horsemen themselves may become excellent.
τὸ μὲν τοίνυν τοὺς νέους αὐτῶν ἀναπηδᾶν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἵππους πείθοιμεν ἂν αὐτοὺς μανθάνειν· τὸν διδάξοντα δὲ παρασχὼν ἐπαίνου δικαίως ἂν τυγχάνοις.
First, we should persuade the young men among them to learn to leap onto their horses; and if you provide someone to teach them, you would justly receive praise.
τούς γε μὴν πρεσβυτέρους τὸν Περσικὸν τρόπον ἀναβάλλεσθαι ὑπʼ ἄλλων προσεθίσας καὶ τούτους ὠφελήσαις ἄν.
As for the older men, you would also benefit them by habituating them to be mounted by others in the Persian fashion.
§1.18ὅπως γε μὴν ἐν παντοδαποῖς χωρίοις ἔποχοι οἱ ἱππεῖς δυνήσονται εἶναι, τὸ μὲν πυκνὰ ἐξάγειν μὴ πολέμου ὄντος ἴσως ὀχληρόν· συγκαλέσαντα δὲ χρὴ τοὺς ἱππέας συμβουλεῦσαι αὐτοῖς μελετᾶν, καὶ ὅταν εἰς χώραν ἐλαύνωσι καὶ ὅταν ἄλλοσέ ποι, ἐκβιβάζοντας τῶν ὁδῶν καὶ ταχὺ ἐλαύνοντας ἐν τόποις παντοδαποῖς.
In order that the horsemen may be able to ride well on all kinds of ground, to lead them out frequently when there is no war is perhaps troublesome; but you should call the horsemen together and advise them to practice, both when they ride out into the country and when they go anywhere else, by leaving the roads and riding fast over all kinds of ground.
τοῦτο γὰρ ὠφελεῖ μὲν παραπλησίως τῷ ἐξάγειν, ὄχλον δʼ οὐχ ὁμοίως παρέχει.
For this benefits them in a way similar to leading them out, but does not cause equal trouble.
§1.19ἐπιτήδειον δὲ ὑπομιμνῄσκειν ὅτι καὶ ἡ πόλις ἀνέχεται δαπανῶσα εἰς τὸ ἱππικὸν ἐγγὺς τετταράκοντα τάλαντα τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ, ὡς ἢν πόλεμος γίγνηται, μὴ ζητεῖν δέῃ ἱππικόν, ἀλλʼ ἐξ ἑτοίμου ἔχῃ παρεσκευασμένῳ χρῆσθαι.
It is also proper to remind them that the city tolerates spending nearly forty talents a year on the cavalry, so that if war comes, it does not have to look for cavalry, but has it ready prepared for use.
ταῦτα γὰρ ἐνθυμουμένους εἰκὸς καὶ τοὺς ἱππέας μᾶλλον ἂν ἀσκεῖν τὴν ἱππικήν, ὅπως, ἢν πόλεμος ἐγείρηται, μὴ ἀμελετήτους ὄντας ἀγωνίζεσθαι δέῃ περί τε τῆς πόλεως καὶ περὶ εὐκλείας καὶ περὶ τῆς ψυχῆς.
For it is natural that, keeping these things in mind, the horsemen will practice horsemanship more, so that if war is aroused, they may not have to fight for the city, for glory, and for their lives while being untrained.
§1.20ἀγαθὸν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο προειπεῖν τοῖς ἱππεῦσιν, ὅτι ἐξάξεις ποτὲ καὶ σὺ αὐτοὺς καὶ διὰ παντοίων χωρίων ἡγήσῃ.
It is also good to proclaim beforehand to the horsemen that you yourself will also lead them out sometime and guide them through all kinds of ground.
καὶ ἐν ταῖς μελέταις δὲ ταῖς πρὸ τῆς ἀνθιππασίας καλὸν ἐξάγειν ἄλλοτʼ εἰς ἀλλοῖον τόπον· καὶ γὰρ τοῖς ἱππεῦσι καὶ τοῖς ἵπποις βέλτιον.
And in the exercises before the mock battle, it is excellent to lead them out to different places at different times; for this is better both for the horsemen and for the horses.
§1.21ἀκοντίζειν γε μὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἵππων ὧδʼ ἂν πλεῖστοι μοι δοκοῦσι μελετᾶν, εἰ τοῦτʼ αὖ προείποις τοῖς φυλάρχοις, ὅτι αὐτοὺς δεήσει ἡγουμένους τοῖς τῆς φυλῆς ἀκοντισταῖς ἐλαύνειν ἐπὶ τὸ ἀκόντιον.
Furthermore, it seems to me that the greatest number would practice throwing javelins from their horses if you in turn proclaimed to the phylarchs that they themselves will have to ride at the target while leading the javelin-throwers of their tribe.
φιλοτιμοῖντο γὰρ ἄν, ᾗ τὸ εἰκός, ὡς πλείστους ἕκαστος ἀποδεῖξαι ἀκοντιστὰς τῇ πόλει.
For they would naturally be competitive, each eager to display to the city as many javelin-throwers as possible from his own tribe.
§1.22ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τοῦ καλῶς γε ὁπλισθῆναι τοὺς ἱππέας οἱ φύλαρχοι ἄν μοι δοκοῦσι μέγιστον συλλαμβάνειν, εἰ πεισθείησαν ὅτι πολύ ἐστι πρὸς τῆς πόλεως εὐδοξότερον τῇ τῆς φυλῆς λαμπρότητι κεκοσμῆσθαι ἢ μόνον τῇ ἑαυτῶν στολῇ.
Moreover, the phylarchs would, I think, contribute most to the horsemen being well armed, if they were persuaded that it is far more honorable for the city to be adorned by the splendor of the tribe than by their own equipment alone.
§1.23εἰκὸς δὲ μὴ δυσπείστους εἶναι αὐτοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα, οἵ γε φυλαρχεῖν ἐπεθύμησαν δόξης καὶ τιμῆς ὀρεγόμενοι, δυνατοὶ δʼ εἰσὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ πορίσαι καὶ ἄνευ τοῦ αὐτοὶ δαπανᾶν τῷ μισθῷ ἐπαναγκάζοντες κατὰ τὸν νόμον ὁπλίζεσθαι.
And it is likely that they would not be difficult to persuade in such matters, since they desired to be phylarchs out of an appetite for glory and honor; and they are able to procure the things required by law, compelling their men to arm themselves in accordance with the law by means of their pay, without spending their own money.
§1.24εἴς γε μὴν τὸ εὐπειθεῖς εἶναι τοὺς ἀρχομένους μέγα μὲν τὸ λόγῳ διδάσκειν ὅσα ἀγαθὰ ἔνι ἐν τῷ πειθαρχεῖν, μέγα δὲ καὶ τὸ ἔργῳ πλεονεκτεῖν μὲν ποιεῖν τοὺς εὐτάκτους, μειονεκτεῖν δὲ ἐν πᾶσι τοὺς ἀτακτοῦντας.
As for making subordinates obedient, it is of great weight to teach them by word of mouth how many goods are contained in obedience, and also of great weight in practice to make the orderly have the advantage, and the disorderly to be at a disadvantage in all things.
§1.25ἰσχυροτάτη δέ μοι δοκεῖ εἶναι παρόρμησις τῶν φυλάρχων εἰς τὸ φιλοτιμεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς καλῶς παρεσκευασμένης ἕκαστον τῆς φυλῆς ἡγεῖσθαι, εἰ τοὺς ἀμφὶ σὲ προδρόμους κοσμήσαις μὲν ὅπλοις ὡς κάλλιστα, ἀκοντίζειν δὲ μελετᾶν ἐξαναγκάσαις ὡς μάλιστα, ἡγοῖο δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τὸ ἀκόντιον αὐτὸς εὖ μάλα μεμελετηκώς.
And the strongest incentive for the phylarchs to compete in leading each his own tribe well-equipped seems to me to be this: if you should equip the scouts about your own person as beautifully as possible with arms, and compel them to practice throwing javelins to the utmost, and lead them yourself to the target, being very well practiced yourself.
§1.26εἰ δὲ καὶ ἆθλά τις δύναιτο προτιθέναι ταῖς φυλαῖς πάντων ὁπόσα ἀγαθὰ νομίζουσιν ἀσκεῖσθαι ἐν ταῖς θέαις ὑπὸ τοῦ ἱππικοῦ, τοῦτο πάντας οἶμαι Ἀθηναίους γε μάλιστʼ ἂν προτρέπειν εἰς φιλονικίαν.
And if someone could also propose prizes for the tribes for all the good things that are thought to be practiced by the cavalry in the public spectacles, I think this would especially urge all Athenians to rivalry.
δῆλον δὲ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τοῖς χοροῖς, ὡς μικρῶν ἄθλων ἕνεκεν πολλοὶ μὲν πόνοι, μεγάλαι δὲ δαπάναι τελοῦνται.
This is clear also in the case of the choruses, where, for the sake of small prizes, many labors and great expenses are incurred.
τοὺς μέντοι κριτὰς τοιούτους δεῖ εὑρίσκειν παρʼ οἷς νικῶντες μάλιστʼ ἂν ἀγάλλοιντο.
However, you must find such judges as those in whose presence the victors would rejoice most.