MODEHN FAURIER. 217 



* Witli all horses that walk firm, fast, and well, 

 the hind-foot oversteps the mark of the fore-foot by 

 some inches; and thi3 arises from the animal being 

 able to use his hind-qnarters with freedom, and to 

 advance his hind-legs well under his body, by which 

 the fore-legs are greatly relieved ; as the hind-legs, 

 in that case, take more of the weight of the body 

 than they would do when dragged after the animal ; 

 the hind-legs therefore should stand perpendicular, 

 under the round bone, which is the connecting joint 

 of the thigh and leg v/ith tlie body. In that case, 

 their flexion and extension will be even and uni- 

 form, and the animal will move with much less 

 labour thnn he would under other circumstanceSc 

 In the action of the v/alk, the horse moves his legs 

 separately ; that is to say, one after the otlier. Thus, 

 if he begins with the right, he first raises the right, 

 or off hind-leg, and advances it under his body ; 

 but, before the foot reaches the ground, the right, 

 or near fore-foot, is raised and advanced, in order to 

 make room for the hind-foot, which, in middling 

 and slow walkers, alights upon the nmrk of tlie 

 fore-foot; but, in good and fast walkers, oversteps 

 it considerably, as has been just observed. As soon 

 as the near fore-foot alights upon the ground, the 

 off, or left hind-foot, is raised ; the left, or near fore- 

 foot then rises to make room for the near hind-foot, 

 in the same way as on the otlier side. 



' The walk, therefore, consists of a separate and 

 successive action of all the four legs, beginning with 

 a hind-leg; and in proof of this, the same remark 

 will be found in an old author, ^' Bordli de motu 

 animaUum ;" who speaking of the walk, says, " inci- 

 put gressus pede posticor He begins the walk with 

 a hind-leg ; and this, though it appears unaccounta- 

 ble at a first view, is, nevertheless, the fact ; because, 

 if the hind-leg were not first advanced, before the 

 fore-leg began its action, there would be no support 

 for the body whilst the fore-leg was suspended in 

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