Experiments and their Verification 205 



But not all trotters have recourse to such an expedient to remove 

 their forelegs out of the path of an active pair of hind legs, much to 

 the sorrow of the trainer ; and hence there will always be more or less 

 trouble in the balancing of those horses that have indifferent action in 

 front. 



Roberge's general rules for extending the reach of a foot by 

 lowering its angle and checking it by increasing the angle of the foot 

 are primarily true of the bare foot, or of the foot shod with a plain 

 shoe, but under certain conditions these rules require some modifica- 

 tions. Much as I am against the use of shoes of unequal weight or of 

 unequal shape, or of any inequality of length of toe and angle be- 

 tween the fore or between the hind, there are many cases where a 

 regular gait and the best speed are effected in making just such differ- 

 ences. Combinations of various weights and shapes of shoes, as well 

 as of various angles and length of toe, are obviously great in num-. 

 ber; but the main object of all such combinations must remain that the 

 distances of the two pairs of correlated feet should be at all times the 

 same. Only when such distances are the same can we expect an even, 

 faultless gait. We cannot always equalize the extensions, and if these 

 differences are slight no danger springs from them. We have already 

 noticed how a horse may be benefited by an increased extension of 

 the near fore and off hind when taking the turns; in fact, the diffi- 

 culty of getting around the turn is mostly due to the increased ex- 

 tension of the other pair of feet; but even when the above favorable 

 extension occurs in a horse to excess, the probability of a good gait 

 on the stretch is also in question. 



My experiments were .made mostly with the object in view of 

 keeping the distances of correlated feet alike and of holding any one 

 excessive extension as being a menace to the safety and soundness of 

 the horse. In the trials of animals owned by me I allowed myself a 

 little more liberty of ascertaining the effects of various conditions im- 

 posed for that purpose. It is, however, not my advice to the reader to 

 try indiscriminately the shoeings noted down, but rather to make 

 changes only when called for by the analysis of the gait, and to do so 

 gradually. Much of the necessary change may be temporary only, and 



