Others make a point of trying to attain the precision and poise they see in those who have the ability to choose from a great number of horses those with [...] qualities found in only a very small number of horses. This leads to a circumstance in which these imitators of such studied poise mortify the spirit of a noble horse, and remove from it all of the goodness of temperament Nature has given it.
Francois Robichon de La GueriniereA light hand is one which never feels the contact of the bit with the bars.
Francois Robichon de La GueriniereGrace 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 endeavors.
Francois Robichon de La GueriniereAbove all, a horse should never be chastised out of foul mood or anger, but always with complete dispassion.
Francois Robichon de La GueriniereNeither should, for the same reason, the lessons be for too long a period; they fatigue and bore a horse, and it should be returned to the stable with the same good spirits it had upon leaving it.
Francois Robichon de La GueriniereHorsemanship 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.
Francois Robichon de La Gueriniere