THE FRAMEWORK OF THE HORSE. 31 



&c., and act chiefly as bearers ; whilst the near hind 

 leg, a, acts chiefly as -a propeller, and the off fore leg, 

 d, as a lifter, these two being connected by dotted 

 lines in the successive bounds, e h, g k, &c., and the 

 intersections of these full and dotted lines remain in- 

 variable. 



This will serve to explain why it is that, although 

 a moderate trot is less fatiguing to horses than any 

 other pace for a long journey, on account of the pairs 

 of legs being used as bearers and propellers alternately, 

 some horses will, under the rider, break into a canter, 

 the alternate shifting of their own and his weight from 

 right to left becoming more fatiguing than the constant 

 use of each pair of legs for the same functions ; and the 

 proof is, that many of these horses will go a steady trot 

 in harness when they have only their own weight to 

 adjust. It also explains why horses, when hurried in 

 their trot, and over-weighted in the forehand, whereby 

 the bearers (fore legs) become unable to support the 

 weight thrown more and more rapidly on them by the 

 hind legs, which now act solely as propellers, natural- 

 ly, and to save themselves from falling, " lead" with a 

 fore leg, immediately followed by a hind one that is 

 to say, break into a canter, which gives them, instead 

 of the alternate lines of support, a b, b c, c d (A, fig. 2), 

 a permanent triangle, k I m (B, fig. 2), as a basis. 



It may be objected that some horses will trot under 

 the rider that will not do so in harness ; no doubt this 

 is because that rider knows how to adjust his weight 

 to the peculiar exigencies of the horse ; some, from 

 various causes, being assisted in trotting by the rider's 

 weight being adjusted in a particular way, of which 

 a very remarkable instance is adduced in a footnote, 



