But possibly you are not content with a horse serviceable for war. You
want to find him him a showy, attractive animal, with a certain
grandeur of bearing. If so, you must abstain from pulling at his mouth
with the bit, or applying the spur and whip--methods commonly adopted
by people with a view to a fine effect, though, as a matter of fact,
they thereby achieve the very opposite of what they are aiming at.
That is to say, by dragging the mouth up they render the horse blind
instead of alive to what is in front of him; and what with spurring
and whipping they distract the creature to the point of absolute
bewilderment and danger.[1] Feats indeed!--the feats of horses with a
strong dislike to being ridden--up to all sorts of ugly and ungainly
tricks. On the contrary, let the horse be taught to be ridden on a
loose bridle, and to hold his head high and arch his neck, and you
will practically be making him perform the very acts which he himself
delights or rather exults in; and the best proof of the pleasure which
he takes is, that when he is let loose with other horses, and more
particularly with mares, you will see him rear his head aloft to the
full height, and arch his neck with nervous vigour,[2] pawing the air
with pliant legs[3] and waving his tail on high. By training him to
adopt the very airs and graces which he naturally assumes when showing
off to best advantage, you have got what you are aiming at--a horse
that delights in being ridden, a splendid and showy animal, the joy of
all beholders.

[1] Al. "the animals are so scared that, the chances are, they are
thrown into disorder."

[2] {gorgoumenos}, with pride and spirit, but with a suggestion of
"fierceness and rage," as of Job's war-horse.