128 THE BREEDS OF LIVE-STOCK 



into full play, the recovery is necessarily slow. This is not 

 only a bad fault, but gives one an idea that the horse is 

 going one gait in front, and another behind. To use a 

 trade expression, " the horse is going in two pieces." For 

 a comfortable ride, knee and hock action must be equal ; 

 and, given this equality, it cannot be too high. With all 

 this, the ideal saddle horse must accomplish one more thing 

 with his trot : he must trot with all four legs under him 

 the trot must be gathered ; he must come up into the bit, 

 and still not pull an ounce. The trot of the ordinary horse 

 is straggly and too much extended. The men who best 

 accomplish this " gathering " of the trot are the most suc- 

 cessful educators. 



143. The canter. This gait, in its modern develop- 

 ment, is a thing of beauty. The old " 'lope " or gallop, 

 which seemed to ride one down hill, is relegated with the 

 side swiping pace. The canter of to-day is high, bounding, 

 elastic, gathered slow, and right under the horse. At this 

 gait a horse's hocks should be right under him, and the 

 motion should come almost entirely from the front, while 

 the quarters are sparingly used. The horse should lead 

 with either foot, and change lead at command with such 

 ease that no signal can be detected. His quarters should 

 be so thoroughly flexed that they are always turned toward 

 the center of the circle in which he may be supposed to be 

 cantering. That is, when the horse is leading with the 

 right foot his quarters should be well under him, and in to 

 the right. In other words, the horse's body should take 

 the curve of the circle in which he is supposed to be canter- 

 ing. This is the only possible way to get a comfortable 

 and pleasing canter. At the same time, the rider should 

 gently raise the horse, with an almost imperceptible pres- 

 sure on the bit, at each upward bound. This is the canter 



