128 THE HORSE. 
hind legs must be moved as rapidly as, and with more force than, the fore 
legs, because they have more work to do in propelling the body, the latter 
having only to sustain it during the operation. Good judges, therefore, 
regard the hind action as of even more importance than that of the knees 
and shoulders ; for if the former do not drive the body well forward, good 
pace cannot be obtained, nor will it be easy and rhythmical. In this kind 
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ACTION IN THE TRUE TROT. 
of trot elastic fetlocks are fatal to speed, as they prevent the instantaneous 
effect upon the body of the muscular contractions of the hind limbs, and 
cause the action to be dwelling and slew. Very fast trotters are, therefore, 
rough in their “feel” to the rider, and are not suited for the purposes of 
pleasure. Indeed, no one would mount one of them from choice; but 
when they possess good mouths, they are pleasant enough to drive. In 
examining trotting action, regard should be paid to the plane through 
wkich each limb passes, for if this is not parallel with that of the median 
line of the body the action is not true and smooth, and there is great risk 
of one limb cutting the other. This is best seen by watching the trot 
from behind as well as before, which gives an opportunity of investigating 
the movements of both pairs of limbs. Every horse should be so made 
that, when he stands, his fore canna bones should be quite parallel ; 
but in order to be so, as they stand closer together than his elbows, they 
must form a slight angle with the arm at the knee; and hence, as this 
part is bent, there is always a slight tendency to turn out the foot, the 
exaggerated form of which is called “dishing.” The observer will, there- 
fore, do well to ascertain the extent to which this should be carried, or 
he will be apt to condemn a perfect goer as a “ disher,” from finding that 
he turns out his toes in bending the knee, though only in the trifling 
degree ordained by nature. If, in bending by the hand the fore foot to 
the elbow, the inner heel of the shoe is in contact with the outside of the 
