1. It is a mark of a good horseman, in our opinion, to see that his groom, like himself, is instructed in the way in which he should treat the horse. First then the man ought to know that he should never make the knot in the halter at the point where the headstall is put on. For if the halter is not easy about the ears, the horse will often rub his head against the manger and may often get sores in consequence. Now if there are sore places thereabouts the horse is bound to be restive both when he is bridled and when he is rubbed down.
1. ἱππικοῦ δὲ ἀνδρὸς ἡμῖν δοκεῖ εἶναι καὶ τὸν ἱπποκόμον πεπαιδευκέναι ἃ δεῖ περὶ τὸν ἵππον πράττειν. πρῶτον μὲν τοίνυν τῆς ἐπιφατνιδίας φορβειᾶς ἐπίστασθαι αὐτὸν δεῖ μήποτε τὸ ἅμμα ποιεῖσθαι ἔνθαπερ ἡ κορυφαία περιτίθεται. πολλάκις γὰρ κνῶν ὁ ἵππος ἐπὶ τῇ φάτνῃ τὴν κεφαλήν, εἰ μὴ ἀσινὴς ἡ φορβειὰ περὶ τὰ ὦτα ἔσται, πολλάκις ἂν ἕλκη ποιοίη. ἑλκουμένων γε μὴν τούτων ἀνάγκη τὸν ἵππον καὶ περὶ τὸ χαλινοῦσθαι καὶ περὶ τὸ ψήχεσθαι δυσκολώτερον εἶναι.
2. It is well also for the groom to have orders to remove the dung and litter daily to one and the same place. For by doing this he will get rid of it most easily and at the same time relieve the horse.
2. ἀγαθὸν δὲ καὶ τὸ τετάχθαι τῷ ἱπποκόμῳ καθʼ ἡμέραν τὴν κόπρον καὶ τὰ ὑποστρώματα τοῦ ἵππου ἐκφέρειν εἰς ἓν χωρίον. τοῦτο γὰρ ποιῶν αὐτός τʼ ἂν ῥᾷστα ἀπαλλάττοι καὶ ἅμα τὸν ἵππον ὠφελοίη.
3. The groom must also know about putting the muzzle on the horse when he takes him out to be groomed or to the rolling-place. In fact he must always put the muzzle on when he leads him anywhere without a bridle. For the muzzle prevents him from biting without hampering his breathing; and moreover, when it is put on, it goes far towards preventing any propensity to mischief.
3. εἰδέναι δὲ χρὴ τὸν ἱπποκόμον καὶ τὸν κημὸν περιτιθέναι τῷ ἵππῳ, καὶ ὅταν ἐπὶ ψῆξιν καὶ ὅταν ἐπὶ καλίστραν ἐξάγῃ. καὶ ἀεὶ δὲ ὅποι ἂν ἀχαλίνωτον ἄγῃ κημοῦν δεῖ. ὁ γὰρ κημὸς ἀναπνεῖν μὲν οὐ κωλύει, δάκνειν δὲ οὐκ ἐᾷ· καὶ τὸ ἐπιβουλεύειν δὲ περικείμενος μᾶλλον ἐξαιρεῖ τῶν ἵππων·
4. He should tie up the horse at a place above the head, because when anything irritates his face, the horse instinctively tries to get rid of it by tossing his head upwards; and if he is tied thus he loosens the halter instead of breaking it by tossing up his head.
4. καὶ μὴν δεσμεύειν τὸν ἵππον ἄνωθεν τῆς κεφαλῆς δεῖ· πάντα γὰρ ὁπόσα ἂν δύσκολʼ ᾖ περὶ τὸ πρόσωπον ὁ ἵππος ἐκνεύειν πέφυκεν ἄνω· ἐκνεύων γε μὴν οὕτω δεδεμένος χαλᾷ μᾶλλον ἢ διασπᾷ τὰ δεσμά.
5. In rubbing the horse down, the man should start at the head and mane; for if the upper parts are not clean, it is idle to clean his lower parts. Next, going over the rest of his body, he should make the hair stand up with all the dressing instruments, and get the dust out by rubbing him the way the hair lies. But he should not touch the hair on the backbone with any instrument; he should rub and smooth it down with the hands the way it naturally grows; for so he will be least likely to injure the rider’s seat.
5. ἐπειδὰν δὲ ψήχῃ, ἄρχεσθαι μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς κεφαλῆς καὶ τῆς χαίτης· μὴ γὰρ καθαρῶν τῶν ἄνω ὄντων μάταιον τὰ κάτω καθαίρειν. ἔπειτα δὲ κατὰ μὲν τὸ ἄλλο σῶμα πᾶσι τοῖς τῆς καθάρσεως ὀργάνοις ἀνιστάντα δεῖ τὴν τρίχα σοβεῖν τὴν κόνιν κατὰ φύσιν τῆς τριχός· τῶν δʼ ἐν τῇ ῥάχει τριχῶν ἄλλῳ μὲν ὀργάνῳ οὐδενὶ δεῖ ἅπτεσθαι, ταῖς δὲ χερσὶ τρίβειν καὶ ἁπαλύνειν ᾗπερ φύσει κέκλινται· ἥκιστα γὰρ ἂν βλάπτοι τὴν ἕδραν τοῦ ἵππου.
6. He must wash the head well with water, for, as it is bony, to clean it with iron or wood would hurt the horse. He must also wet the forelock, for this tuft of hair, even if pretty long, does not obstruct his sight, but drives from his eyes anything that worries them; and we must presume that the gods have given the horse this hair in lieu of the long ears that they have given to asses and mules as a protection to their eyes.
6. ὕδατι δὲ καταπλύνειν τὴν κεφαλὴν χρή· ὀστώδης γὰρ οὖσα, εἰ σιδήρῳ ἢ ξύλῳ καθαίροιτο, λυποῖ ἂν τὸν ἵππον. καὶ τὸ προκόμιον δὲ χρὴ βρέχειν· καὶ γὰρ αὗται εὐμήκεις οὖσαι αἱ τρίχες ὁρᾶν μὲν οὐ κωλύουσι τὸν ἵππον, ἀποσοβοῦσι δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τὰ λυποῦντα. καὶ τοὺς θεοὺς δὲ οἴεσθαι χρὴ δεδωκέναι ταύτας τὰς τρίχας ἵππῳ ἀντὶ τῶν μεγάλων ὤτων ἃ ὄνοις τε καὶ ἡμιόνοις ἔδοσαν ἀλεξητήρια πρὸ τῶν ὀμμάτων.
7. He should also wash the tail and mane, for growth of the tail is to be encouraged in order that the horse may be able to reach as far as possible and drive away anything that worries him, and growth of the mane in order to give the rider as good a hold as possible.
7. καὶ οὐρὰν δὲ καὶ χαίτην πλύνειν χρή, ἐπείπερ αὔξειν δεῖ τὰς τρίχας, τὰς μὲν ἐν τῇ οὐρᾷ, ὅπως ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐξικνούμενος ἀποσοβῆται ὁ ἵππος τὰ λυποῦντα, τὰς δὲ ἐν τῷ τραχήλῳ, ὅπως τῷ ἀναβάτῃ ὡς ἀφθονωτάτη ἀντίληψις ᾖ.
8. Besides, the mane, forelock and tail have been given to the horse by the gods as an ornament. A proof of this is that brood mares herding together, so long as they have fine manes, are reluctant to be covered by asses; for which reason all breeders of mules cut off the manes of the mares for covering.
8. δέδοται δὲ παρὰ θεῶν καὶ ἀγλαΐας ἕνεκεν ἵππῳ χαίτη, καὶ προκόμιον δὲ καὶ οὐρά. τεκμήριον δέ· αἱ γὰρ ἀγελαῖαι τῶν ἵππων οὐχ ὁμοίως ὑπομένουσι τοὺς ὄνους ἐπὶ τῇ ὀχείᾳ ἕως ἂν κομῶσιν· οὗ ἕνεκα καὶ ἀποκείρουσι πρὸς τὴν ὀχείαν τὰς ἵππους ἅπαντες οἱ ὀνοβατοῦντες.
9. Washing down of the legs we disapprove of; it does no good, and the hoofs are injured by being wetted every day. Excessive cleaning under the belly also should be diminished; for this worries the horse very much, and the cleaner these parts are, the more they collect under the belly things offensive to it;
9. τήν γε μὴν τῶν σκελῶν κατάπλυσιν ἀφαιροῦμεν· ὠφελεῖ μὲν γὰρ οὐδέν, βλάπτει δὲ τὰς ὁπλὰς ἡ καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν βρέξις. καὶ τὴν ὑπὸ γαστέρα δὲ ἄγαν κάθαρσιν μειοῦν χρή· αὕτη γὰρ λυπεῖ μὲν μάλιστα τὸν ἵππον, ὅσῳ δʼ ἂν καθαρώτερα ταῦτα γένηται, τοσούτῳ πλείω τὰ λυποῦντα ἁθροίζει ὑπὸ τὴν γαστέρα·
10. and notwithstanding all the pains that may be taken with these parts, the horse is no sooner led out than he looks much the same as an unwashed animal. So these operations should be omitted; and as for the rubbing of the legs, it is enough to do it with the bare hands.
10. ἢν δὲ καὶ πάνυ διαπονήσηταί τις ταῦτα, οὐ φθάνει [τʼ] ἐξαγόμενος ὁ ἵππος καὶ εὐθὺς ὅμοιός ἐστι τοῖς ἀκαθάρτοις. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐᾶν χρή· ἀρκεῖ δὲ καὶ ἡ τῶν σκελῶν ψῆξις αὐταῖς ταῖς χερσὶ γιγνομένη.