^^^2.] on Animals in Motion. 51 



Commenoiug again with the first position ; it is thus sepn that 

 when a horse dnring a walk is on two feet, and the o her two feet are 

 suspended between the supporting legs, the suspended feet are laterals 

 On the other hand, when the suspended feet are severally in advance 

 of and behind the supporting legs, they are diagonals. ^ 



ihese invariable rules seem to be neglected or entirely ignored bv 

 many of the most eminent animal painters of modem times ^ 



The Trot. 



By some observers the perfect trot is described as an absolutelv 

 synchronous movement of the diagonal feet Tl,;« tL,?!? ''^ 

 action may be considered desirable, but it prXbly ne e/ru """ 



Sometimes the fore foot will be raised before the diaZaT hind 

 foo , sometimes afterwards ; but in either instance, the foot ?aTsed fir j 

 will strike the ground first ; repeated experiments with many raeinj 

 and other trotting horses confirmed this want of simultandtv SeW? 

 ing for an example of the trot a horse making a str de of 1 S &„f • 

 length we find that at the instant his right^fore foot stnkS h" 

 ground, the left hind foot is a few inches1,ehind the tin 'where H 

 will presently strike at about 38 or 40 inches to the v^.Tf Ti ^ 

 foot. When both feet have reached the ground the riXt b Wl f °-^ 

 stretched back almost to its fullest extint ww! f 1,1 ^ T '"^ ,'^ 

 horizontal, while the left fore legls S'nide'r tt C^ZZ 

 legs approach a vertical position the pasterns are ffradnnlW l„ i 

 and act as springs to break the force of the concussi™ unt [ Z ' 

 bent nearly at right angles with the legs ''°'"="'''™ ""^''^ *l^ey are 

 At this period the left fore foot is raised to its greatest hei<,bt 

 and will frequently strike the elbow, while the right hLd foot is tut 

 left h'd!'' '"" ''' ^'■°""'' ^"' ^^ ^'^°"* *° P-^ *« tl^« fr-t of the 



rt. '^•''? Pf *''™^ gradually rise as the legs decline backwards until 

 the right fore foo has left the ground and the last proShV force 



rnim^lirLTair'^ '''^ '"'' ''^' ^°°'^ ^'^-^'^ ^Ll^^lZtZ 



timefi^ij^f Sat' T^^'^foriTiiiTfr" ''t --- 



being gradually lowered, while the 1 t els beW rat""'Th7'T; 

 hind and both fore legs are now much flexed wlitf 1,1 i I ,-"?*?' 

 stretched backwards to its greatest ex ent wTth the tttom of the^f '? 

 tui-ned upwards, the left fore leg is being thrust f^rwarandtadu 

 ally straightened, with the toe raised as the foot annrnol! 1^ 

 ground ; which accomplished, with a substitutlL of heTfU tt t 

 the right we find them in the same relative nositions „« ^ 

 commenced our examination, and one balf of thfstri^Ts compter 

 With slight and immaterial differences, such as m{XiT^^\ 

 by irregularities of the ground, these mov;ment are repeated bTthl 

 other pair of diagonals, and the entire stride is then corjplete. ^ 



