The precursor of horsemanship: comparative analysis of methods described by Xenofonte with contemporary training methods

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20435/multi.v28i70.3976

Keywords:

human-horse relationship, good relations, Xenophon, training, horses

Abstract

The ancestry of the methods, techniques and equipment used in horse riding is a matter of concern for those protected by animal welfare. Usually, when old references are sought in the literature, they are at odds with this theme. Xenophon, criticized and revered by many, was the famous author of one of the first treatises on horsemanship in history. In his work entitled Peri Hippikes, Xenophon addressed various themes related to the horse, but revealed a perspective already emphasizing good human-horse relations, more common nowadays than in a period in which these relations were quite violent and standardized. In this work, seven steps of his work were detected, focusing on the theme of training, with contemporary scientific literature, discussing whether Xenophon was correct or incorrect in his statements which are based on concepts of animal welfare in human-horse relations.

Author Biographies

Fernando Jahn Bessa, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Mestre em Agroecossistemas pela Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC. Major da Polícia Militar de Santa Catarina.

Syllas Jadach Oliveira Lima, Universidade Anhembi-Morumbi

Especialista em Neurociência aplicada à Educação, pela Universidade Anhembi-Morumbi, São Paulo, SP. Especialista no método de reabiliatação global por meio do cavalo, área lúdico desportiva, ANIRE, Itália. Major da Polícia Militar do Estado de São Paulo. 

Denise Pereira Leme, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Doutora em Medicina Veterinária pela Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlia de Mesquita Filho, Botucatú, SP. Docente do Departamento de Zootecnia e Desenvolvimento Rural da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina e coordenadora do núcleo de Equideocultura e bem-estar de Equinos (NEBEq) do laboratório de Etologia e Bem-estar Animal (LETA) da UFSC.

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Published

2024-02-23

How to Cite

Bessa, F. J. ., Lima, S. J. O. ., & Leme, D. P. . (2024). The precursor of horsemanship: comparative analysis of methods described by Xenofonte with contemporary training methods. Multitemas, 28(70), 95–111. https://doi.org/10.20435/multi.v28i70.3976