76 Gait of the American Trotter and Pacer 



ditions we find in this case), such small irregularities do not affect 

 the harmony of motion to any extent. 



It will be noted that the sum total of hind averages in this table 

 (19.72) exceeds that of the fore averages (19,70), which same fact 

 we notice in table Fig. 54. This illustrates the supposition that the 

 mare was slightly increasing her speed during those 15 strides 



In the language of David Roberge, there is a marked "pointing" 

 on the off side of the table of Fig. 55. The mean difference between 

 the extension of the off hind and that of the off fore is but 0.05 ft. or 

 0.6 inch, which appears as the difference between the distances of the 

 correlated feet in the next figure. 



In Fig. 56 we have again the calculations from table of Fig. 53 by 

 means of crosswise subtraction in order to obtain the distances of the 

 hind foot to the fore foot on either side. We start where the first 

 stride occurs, that is, on the third line or the near side, as follows: 

 24 19.15 = 4.85, 34 28.90 = 5.10, and so forth for the 15 strides. 



The addition of the columns in Fig. 56 and the division of the 

 totals by 15, as seen on the table, will result in a difference of 0.05 ft. 

 which means that the distance between the lateral feet on the near side 

 is that much greater, or exceeds the distance between them on the off 

 side by 0.6 inch. Although such a difference is an indication of a slight 

 irregularity of gait, it is so small that it may safely be considered as 

 being negligible. It should be remembered, however, that differences 

 in averages, be they ever so small, point without error to some lack of 

 harmony of motion in the mechanism of the horse. 



There is, as in the trot so also in the pace, another point of view 

 to be taken of the movements of the feet, namely, the difference, if 

 any, of extension of one pair of feet from the other pair of feet. That 

 is to say, if we take the lateral pair on the near side as a moving unit 

 and the lateral pair on the off side as a unit, the distance between them 

 as they are alternately thrust forward would appear to be the same. 

 It is reasonable to suppose that such distances are the same, because 

 on such equal extensions of one side to the other depends, more or less, 

 the regularity and purity of the gait. In the trot these distances were 



