THE PACES OF THE HORSE. 



141 



the right fore-foot is about to reach the ground, the left hind-foot has 



just risen. 



At the third or last beat of the pace, the position of the animal is 

 that given in Fig. 15. The moment chosen is that in which the right 

 foot alone rests on the ground, and is about to rise in its turn. 



The gallop in four-time differs from that which has just been de- 

 scribed only in this particular, that the impacts of the diagonal biped, 

 which constitute the second beat of that gallop, are in this case dis- 



united and srive distinct sounds. 



This is shown in Fig. 16. 



Accord- 



Fio. 16. Notation of the Gallop in Four-time. A, determination of each of the successive 

 times; B, determination of the uumber of feet which support the body at each instant. 



ing to this notation, the body, at first suspended, is borne successively 

 on one foot, on three, on two, on three, and on one, after which a new 

 suspension commences. 



The full gallop, which is a very rapid pace, is in four-time. The 

 impacts of the hinder-limbs, however, follow each other at such short 

 intervals, that the ear can only distinguish one of them ; but those of 

 the fore-legs are notably more separated, and can be heard distinctly 

 as two sounds. The notation of the full gallop (Fig. IV) confirms 



Fig. 17 Notation of Full Gallop ; Reactions of this Pace. 



this. Another character of the full gallop is, that the longest period 

 of silence takes place during the pressure of the hinder-limbs. The 

 time of suspension appears to be extremely short. The reactions in 

 the full gallop reproduce with great exactness the rhythm of the im- 

 pacts. Thus it is observed that, at the moment of the almost syn- 

 chronous impacts of the two hinder limbs, there is a sharp and pro- 

 longed reaction, after which two less sudden reactions take place, each 

 of which corresponds with the impact of one of the fore-feet. The 

 irregular line in Fip-. 17 is the tracing; of the reactions at the withers. 

 Many other points relating to the locomotion of the horse, such as 



