40 ZOOPRAXOQRAPHT 



foot during the rapid gallop of. a thoroughbred horse, 

 it is supported conbecutively by 



The left hind foot. 



Both hind feet. 



The right hind foot. 



The rio^ht hind and the left fore feet. • 



The left fore foot. 



Both fore feet. 



The right fore foot. 



From which he springs into the air to re-commence 

 the phases with the left hind foot, while the only phase 

 in which he has been discovered without support is one 

 when the legs are flexed under the body. All of the feet 

 at this time are nearly close together and have com- 

 paratively little independent motion; this phase, there- 

 fore, more persistently than any other, forces itself 

 upon the attention of the careful observer, and conveys 

 to him the impression of a horse's rapid motion in 

 singular contradiction to the conventional interpreta- 

 tion, until quite recently, usually adopted by the 

 Artist. 



It should not be understood that the term ''spring" 

 implies that the body of the horse is greatly elevated 

 by that action; were it so, much force would be unneces- 

 sarily expended with the result of loss of speed. The 

 center of gravity of a horse trotting or galloping at a 

 high rate of speed will preserve an almost strictly 

 horizontal line, the undulations being very slight. 



In the gallop of the horse it is probable there may 

 be sometimes a period of suspension between the lift- 

 ins of one fore foot and the descent of the other, but 

 it has not yet been demonstrated. 



