CHAPTER VIII. 



THE HARMONY IN A GAIT. 



I. THE PRIME CONDITION OF AN EASY AND REGULAR GAIT. 



No trotter can trot and no pacer can pace well unless the two dis- 

 tances between the feet that move together are practically the same 

 when the feet are set on the ground. Whether one pair moves ahead of 

 the other a reasonable distance is of some, but of less, importance to 

 the regularity of either gait, as long as the correlated feet show no 

 marked difference in their respective separations. We have seen that 

 no two such distances are exactly alike at each stride, for the eagerness 

 of the horse, the urging of the driver and the slight unevenness of the 

 ground, all make the resulting exertions of the animal vary in extent ; 

 but we can depend on the average of a number of strides as indicating 

 the tendencies of extension and propulsion. What is true of these 

 distances is likewise true of the individual strides. 



Take, for instance, the trial of a McKinney mare, with an average 

 stride of 18.91 ft., and with total variations of individual strides from 

 this average comparatively small, namely : 



near - Fore - off near - Hind - off 



-4- 1.98 2.13 -f- 1.85 2.00 4- 2.25 2.40 -j- 2 - 21 2O1 



Total scope 

 4.11 3.85 4-65 4-22 



The fore showed from 18.55 ft- to T 94O ft. and the hind from 

 18.50 ft. to 19.35 ft- as lowest and highest strides. Now, as to the 

 important equality of the distance between the feet of the two pairs 

 as they land on the ground together, we have : 



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