""Great" Hands are the Work of a Lifetime

While reading a story in the March 2012 issue of Practical Horseman, "Getting a Grip on Good Hands" by Peter Lombardo, I came across the following profound phrase: "..."great" hands are the work of a lifetime."

Like so many things in life, riding horses and actually being good at it is a long-term process. According to Lombardo, many riders do a great job of developing their seat and leg, but often overlook their hands.

Since we communicate directly with our horse's mouths through our hands, it's important to work toward "great" hands. In Lombardo' words:

""Good" hands -- and that includes your fingers, hands, wrists, arms and shoulders -- are steady, a hard quality to maintain when you're posting or in motion. Because horses are trained by a sequence of "punishment" in the form of pressure and "reward" in the form of release, good hands know how to close to "punich" your horse by bringing him together, and relax to "reward" him for his response. Good hands are smoooth, subtle and slow, even when your horse is misbehaving."

I'm not sure why the phrase "..."great" hands are the work of a lifetime," gives me goosebumps, but it REALLY does. So much so that I've printed out this string of words and posted them in my office and barn. Great hands -- it's a noble quest, one I've decided to pursue.