IO2 Gait of the American Trotter and Pacer 



equalize faults by strength elsewhere in support of that fault. Nothing 

 in the anatomy or the locomotion of the horse is really and absolutely 

 perfect, and what parts of it impress us as being beautiful in outline or 

 remarkable in expression, are such simply because they are placed in 

 symmetrical equilibrium. We are looking at certain points around 

 which are built the frame and the mass of the horse, and these points 

 are but the centers of symmetry, or the centers of reference, around 

 which rest or move in symmetrical proportion or symmetrical motion, 

 the various parts of the animal. 



This is likewise true of the hoof, and wherever an improvement 

 for a better adjustment is possible, it must be accomplished by the 

 simple principles of symmetry. 



If, for instance, the surface in the quarter section from a to c 

 (Fig. 77-A), shows a so-called "wing" or outward curve, the axis of 

 direction for that foot is more likely to be M N, or to one side of axis 

 of leg. The offset or compensation for such a fulness of hoof is an 

 extra height in its symmetrical opposite or of the quarter section a d. 

 in Fig. 77 (A). Reducing this full surface in height, as at e to c in 



