He goes on to say that a horse's performance would be no more beautiful than that of a dancer taught by whips and goads if he were forced under the same conditions. The horse should, instead, perform of his own accord in response to set signals by the rider. To do this, Xenophon says, for example, gallop the horse hard until he begins to prance and show his airs, at which time the rider should at once dismount and remove the bit. This reward will cause the horse, at a later time, to show himself off of his own accord. If the master of such a splendid horse is a general of cavalry, and if his horse's airs and great prancing makes the slightest move forward (what could possible be interpreted as the passage), so that the cavalry horses may follow behind him at a walking pace, and the group move forward at a pace neither too fast nor too slow, not only the general will have a thrilling effect. If it brings out the fire and spirit of the neighing and snorting animals, the whole company will be a thrilling spectacle. Part XII: The Equipment for Battle In the final section of his treatise, Xenophon describes the equipment for both the horse and the rider when riding into battle. For the rider, he mentions that the corselet should fit properly, and that the rider should use a Boeotian helmet. The gauntlet was recommended to protect the left hand of the horseman (which holds the reins), protecting the shoulder, arm, elbow and armpit. Its fit is further discussed. The horse's armor was then discussed, with a frontlet, breastplate, and thigh-pieces. The belly of the horse was also recommended to be protected with a saddle cloth. The limbs of the horse should also be protected. Xenophon goes on to discuss his weapons of choice, the machaira and two javelins of cornel-wood, and explains how properly to throw the javelin while mounted. See also Kikkuli Horses in warfare List of writers on horsemanship References Further reading On Horsemanship, with original text, in: G.W. Bowersock, E.C. Marchant (translators) (1925). Xenophon: In seven volumes. VII, Scripta minora. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. On Horsemanship in: H.G. Dakyns (translator) (1897). Works of Xenophon, volume 3, part 2. London and New York: Macmillan and Co. Works by Xenophon Horse management Classical horsemanship Horse training