208 ON PROGRESSION. 



The CANTER and GALLOP. 



The canter is not generally a natural pace. 

 AA'licn the horse is excited to move his station 

 from one place to another, he performs it with a 

 velocity proportionate to the exciting cause. 

 Thus he changes from the walk to the trot, and 

 from the trot to the gallop, according to his in- 

 clination. 



In each of these changes he acquires an ad- 

 dition of speed; hut as the trot is equal in speed 

 to the canter, he seldom adopts the canter, but 

 changes to the gallop, when he wishes to acce- 

 lerate his motion. The horse is taught to per- 

 form the canter by shortening the gallop. To 

 accomplish this he should be well formed in his 

 hind quarters, and stand with his haunches well 

 under him, as it is almost impossible to make a 

 horse canter whose hind legs stand far behind 



him 



