Chap­ter I – The Cav­al­ry Gen­er­al begins with the impor­tance of seek­ing divine favor before assum­ing the duties of a cav­al­ry com­man­der. Sac­ri­fices to the gods are viewed not as for­mal­i­ty, but as essen­tial acts to secure suc­cess in mil­i­tary lead­er­ship and civic respon­si­bil­i­ties. Divine sup­port is con­sid­ered crit­i­cal to gain­ing loy­al­ty, inspir­ing brav­ery, and ensur­ing the cavalry’s last­ing con­tri­bu­tion to the city. In Athen­ian soci­ety, where reli­gion and pol­i­tics were deeply con­nect­ed, piety ele­vat­ed a general’s legit­i­ma­cy. The belief was that those who hon­ored the gods would be grant­ed clar­i­ty in judg­ment and for­tune in bat­tle. This ear­ly empha­sis frames the role not just as mil­i­tary but spir­i­tu­al, with moral and soci­etal expec­ta­tions woven into lead­er­ship.

Fol­low­ing spir­i­tu­al oblig­a­tions, atten­tion turns to logis­ti­cal real­i­ties. Achiev­ing the prop­er num­ber of cav­al­ry­men is a foun­da­tion­al task, with addi­tion­al hors­es kept in reserve to pre­vent com­bat fatigue or dis­rup­tions from injury. Main­tain­ing a sur­plus of remounts ensures con­tin­ued readi­ness dur­ing extend­ed cam­paigns or unex­pect­ed loss­es. Horse qual­i­ty is cen­tral to this strategy—animals must be con­di­tioned to endure long rides, respond prompt­ly to com­mands, and tra­verse uneven ter­rain with ease. Par­tic­u­lar atten­tion is giv­en to hoof health, since even minor injuries can ren­der a horse inef­fec­tive. Prop­er shoe­ing, hard­en­ing on cob­ble­stones, and allow­ing nat­ur­al move­ment are rec­om­mend­ed to build dura­bil­i­ty. The gen­er­al must con­stant­ly inspect and super­vise these areas, as a weak­ened cav­al­ry can­not be saved by strat­e­gy alone.

The rid­ers them­selves must also be trained beyond cer­e­mo­ni­al dis­play. Each troop­er must be phys­i­cal­ly fit, able to mount quick­ly, and main­tain con­trol under pres­sure. Skills in rid­ing, maneu­ver­ing across var­ied ter­rain, and using weapons from horse­back are fun­da­men­tal, not option­al. To ensure effec­tive­ness, these abil­i­ties must be prac­ticed rou­tine­ly in dif­fer­ent con­di­tions. Only through rep­e­ti­tion can rid­ers devel­op con­fi­dence and coor­di­na­tion. A cav­al­ry force that drills con­sis­tent­ly will respond bet­ter to shift­ing bat­tle­field demands. More­over, gear for both horse and rid­er must be balanced—light enough for mobil­i­ty but pro­tec­tive against injuries. Prop­er fit­ting of armor and bri­dles improves con­trol and min­i­mizes strain dur­ing move­ment. These details dis­tin­guish a dis­ci­plined unit from a dis­or­ga­nized group.

The gen­er­al is not only a com­man­der but also an admin­is­tra­tor, respon­si­ble for man­ag­ing the cavalry’s affairs with the sup­port of legal insti­tu­tions. Coop­er­a­tion with trib­al cap­tains (phy­larchs) and the city sen­ate is essen­tial for resource allo­ca­tion and dis­ci­pline enforce­ment. Strate­gic speech­mak­ing and per­sua­sive com­mu­ni­ca­tion are need­ed to inspire both peers and sub­or­di­nates. Through thought­ful dia­logue, the gen­er­al can gain sup­port for reforms, fund­ing, or pol­i­cy enforce­ment. Pub­lic back­ing strength­ens author­i­ty and morale with­in the ranks. If the cav­al­ry is viewed as an insti­tu­tion of civic pride, its mem­bers are more like­ly to respect orders and uphold stan­dards. This con­nec­tion between mil­i­tary lead­er­ship and civic engage­ment reflects Athens’ broad­er val­ues of shared respon­si­bil­i­ty in pub­lic life.

Recruit­ment also falls under the general’s scope, and it requires more than issu­ing sum­mons. Per­sua­sion plays a key role in attract­ing the most capa­ble indi­vid­u­als, with appeals to hon­or, pub­lic recog­ni­tion, and prac­ti­cal rewards for ser­vice. If per­sua­sion fails, legal recourse can ensure par­tic­i­pa­tion by those oth­er­wise eli­gi­ble. Strength­en­ing the cavalry’s qual­i­ty involves not only select­ing bet­ter rid­ers but ensur­ing only fit hors­es remain. Unruly or poor­ly con­di­tioned ani­mals must be replaced. For­mal notices can be used to orga­nize reg­u­lar drills and mon­i­tor over­all pre­pared­ness. Exer­cis­es across rough ter­rain and long routes train both man and horse in sta­mi­na and respon­sive­ness. Such meth­ods reduce fail­ure dur­ing real deploy­ments.

Troop­ers are advised to pur­sue per­son­al improve­ment through ongo­ing prac­tice. Train­ing under a vari­ety of weath­er and ground con­di­tions builds resilience and adapt­abil­i­ty. Cav­al­ry­men who drill in dis­com­fort will per­form bet­ter in unpre­dictable envi­ron­ments. March­es that include uphill, down­hill, and uneven tracks sim­u­late the chal­lenges of real bat­tle­fields. Fit­ness and focus are sharp­ened through phys­i­cal effort, mak­ing the cav­al­ry not just prepared—but men­tal­ly strong. The phy­larchs play a key role in over­see­ing these rou­tines, includ­ing skill-build­ing in javelin use. Orga­niz­ing friend­ly com­pe­ti­tions encour­ages both cama­raderie and con­stant improve­ment. Rewards for top per­form­ers serve as moti­va­tion, just as in ear­li­er parts of the chap­ter.

Ulti­mate­ly, this chap­ter presents a detailed vision of what cav­al­ry lead­er­ship entails in Athen­ian soci­ety. Suc­cess depends not only on mil­i­tary skill but on piety, strate­gic plan­ning, and a deep under­stand­ing of both men and hors­es. The cav­al­ry gen­er­al is respon­si­ble for readi­ness at every level—from hoof health to bat­tle­field for­ma­tion. His author­i­ty is strength­ened by coop­er­a­tion with civ­il bod­ies and by pro­mot­ing the cavalry’s val­ue in civic and reli­gious life. The force he over­sees is not just a weapon of war—it is a pub­lic insti­tu­tion shaped by dis­ci­pline, duty, and shared cul­tur­al iden­ti­ty. This holis­tic approach to com­mand reflects a soci­ety where every role, from gen­er­al to troop­er, con­tributes to the greater strength of the state.