22 



Gait of the American Trotter and Pacer 



where. The faulty angularity of the joints may sometimes be counter- 

 acted by powerful muscles, tendons, etc. After all, the results that 

 we must try to reach must show a harmony of motion, action and ex- 

 tension, or, in other words, a proper balance. Balance, as we shall see 

 all along this investigation, is but a study of compensations for the 

 defects as they generally exist in even the best trotters and pacers. 

 The great ones of these are to the manner born, like genius, but a great 

 many more are made by the patience and ingenuity of trainer and 

 shoer combined, and it is the purpose of this book to aid both in that 

 accomplishment. 



Having considered the attitudes of "pointing", as well as the ex- 

 tension of legs arising therefrom, we naturally come now to the eleva- 

 tion of the feet or action of the legs. The action is effected on curved 

 lines of various magnitudes. As a rule, the action of fore is greater 

 than that of hind legs. The standard or ideal action should show an 

 approximate equality between the two extremities ; in other words, that 

 action will show the most harmony of motion in which the elevation of 

 the hock action will be as high or nearly as high as the knee action. The 

 greater power of flexion of knee over that of hock will always pre- 

 vent the elevation of the hind feet from being greater than that of the 

 fore feet. On the other hand, the hind leg, being more movable or more 

 loosely hung than fore and at an opposite angle of flexion from that 



