56 Gait of tJie American Trotter and Pacer 



the greater the speed the longer will be the flight through the air of 

 the horse in motion ; and this overstep shows in reality the distance 

 between one set of legs moving together from that of the other set. 

 Its average for both sides will prove again the faults of the gait as 

 we shall see in Fig. 40. Here we calculate from table of Fig. 34 the 

 overstep by crosswise subtraction, as, for instance, taking the measure- 

 ment of each fore from that of each hind following it. Starting, 

 as is always advisable, with overstep of first stride (19.30), we 

 have 25.70 19.30 = 6.40 on near side, and 35. 28.75 = 6.25 on 

 off side, again dividing these oversteps into those of near side and 

 those of off side until the 20 oversteps have been computed. Adding 

 these again and dividing by 20 we get for each side the average 

 overstep, or dividing the total by 40 we obtain the general average of 

 6.36 ft. 



There appears again a difference between the two sides, which 

 is the difference in extensions running through the whole trial, as 

 shown in Fig. 41. Here we have the two oversteps placed side by 

 side. We know that the extension- of off hind over that of near hind is 

 0.1975 f a f ot hence cd = 0.1975 ft. ; and also that extension of off 

 fore over that of near fore, L e., a b=o.O3 ft. Therefore the extension 

 on near side must be greater than that of the off side by what the off 

 hind foot lacks and the off fore foot gains. In other words, the two 

 feet on off side approach each other by their opposite tendencies 

 and the overstep loses as much on the off side as this approach 

 measures, or ab + cd, which is 0.2275 ft. or 2.73 inches. 



If in Figs. 41 and 39 I endeavor to prove the subject matter of table 

 Fig. 40 by a few simple algebraic equations or signs it is not for the 

 purpose of rendering this subject more abstruse but rather to satisfy 

 the usual demands of simple mathematics for a proper "Q.E.D." or 

 "which was to be proved." 



Since Lou Dillon had the peculiarity of crossing over her fore 

 legs, the overstep is not so clearly distinguishable on the ground as it 

 is with the trotters that have not got that way of going. In Fig. 41 -A 

 we see the ordinary form of locomotion, from which the overstep can 



