Kikkuli was brought in specifically to overhaul their program. He documented his process on clay tablets in the Hittite language, written in cuneiform script. These tablets, discovered in the Hittite capital of Hattusa (modern Boğazköy, Turkey) in the early 20th century, lay forgotten for decades until they were translated and recognized as the oldest known treatise on horse breeding and training in the world.
To understand the method, one must first understand the man behind it. Kikkuli was a Hurrian horse trainer from the land of Mitanni (located in modern-day Syria and southeast Turkey). Around 1345 BC, he was employed by the Hittite King Hattusili III. The Kikkuli Method Of Horse Training Book Pdf
is an ancient equine conditioning system based on a 3,400-year-old Hittite text discovered on clay tablets in modern-day Turkey. While the original tablets are archaeological artifacts, the definitive modern interpretation and instructional manual is the book The Kikkuli Method of Horse Training by Dr. Ann Nyland . Understanding the Kikkuli Method Kikkuli was brought in specifically to overhaul their
The Kikkuli Method of Horse Training is a 3,000-year-old conditioning program originally written on Hittite clay tablets around 1345 BC. The modern English version by , titled The Kikkuli Method of Horse Training , details a rigorous 214-day (or 184-day, depending on the reconstruction) fitness regime used to develop ancient warhorses. To understand the method, one must first understand
| Feature | Modern Training (Standard) | Kikkuli Method (Ancient) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | 8–12 weeks | 26 weeks (184 days) | | Intensity | Moderate, consistent | High interval, low recovery | | Rest | 1-2 days off per week | Active recovery daily | | Distance | Builds slowly | Rapid early distance (10 miles week 1) | | Goal | Aesthetics (topline) | Cardiovascular endurance |