THE PACES OF THE HORSE. 



*35 



body of the horse is projected into the air, but upon the fact that all four 

 legs are bent during this short period. The maximum height of the 

 suspension of the body corresponds, on the contrary, with the end of 

 the pressure of the limbs on the ground. It is also seen that the reac- 

 tions of the fore-limbs exceed those of the hind ones. This inequality 

 appeai-s to be constant, and is still more marked in the walking-pace. 



We have learned that one of the chief characteristics of the free 

 trot is the entire synchronism of the strokes of each diagonal biped. 

 There is a form of this pace, however, called by M. Marey the irregu- 

 lar trot, where such synchronism is wanting, the hind limb of one or 

 both diagonal bipeds striking the ground an instant later than the 

 corresponding fore-limb. Fig. 6 represents the notation of the ir- 

 regular trot. The stroke of the left fore-foot is seen to be a little 

 earlier than that of the right hind-foot, and the same is true of the 

 limbs belonging to the right diagonal biped. 



The low and short trot is represented in Fig. 1. The diagonal 

 impacts succeed each other without interval, as may be seen in the 



Fig. 8. Horse at Fctll Trot. The dot placed in the notation corresponds with the attitude 



represented. 



notation placed below the figure. The animal has been depicted from 

 the notation. The instant which the artist has chosen is that marked 

 in the notation by a white dot. At this moment, as the superposition 

 indicates, the left fore-foot is at the end of its pressure ; the right 

 fore-foot is about to reach the ground ; the right hind-foot is finishing 

 its pressure, and the left hind-foot is about to fall. 



