Anything forced or misunderstood, can never be beautiful. For it's like the fragrance of a blossom, which never returns once it has vanished. Nothing can be achieved without tempo and rhythm. A good hand is the one that can resist and yield when necessary and receive with precision the action created with the legs. The knowledge of the nature of the horse is one of the first foundations of the art of riding it, and every horseman must make it his principal study.
Horsemanship is the one art for which it seems one needs only practice.
However, practice without true principles is nothing other than routine, the fruit of which is a strained and unsure execution, a false diamond which dazzles semi-connoisseurs often more impressed by the accomplishments of the horse than the merit of the horseman. Grace is so great an adornment for a rider, and at the same time so important a means to the knowledge of all that which is necessary for persons aspiring to become riders, that such persons should willingly sped the time required to obtain that quality at the outside of their endeavours. The knowledge of the nature of a horse is one of the first foundations of the art if riding it, and every horseman must make it his principal study. In order to have a good hand, it must be light, gentle, and firm. A light hand is one which never feels the contact of the bit with the bars.