286 Gait of the American Trotter and Pacer 



206 with heavy hind shoes we find an energetic gait uphill but a rather 

 distorted trot downhill, although she did not show it much to the eye. 



The average distance of the correlated feet, and the oversteps of 

 hind over fore especially, showed the greater extension of the hind feet 

 in this last trial as compared with the previous one, for in Fig. 205 

 we have an overstep of only 2.53 ft. for the uphill stride of 11.96 ft., 

 while in Fig. 206 we have an overstep of 2.64 ft. for an uphill stride 

 of. only 11.58 ft. 



The longer the stride the greater the overstep applies to any var- 

 iation of speed for one particular shoeing and also the distance be- 

 tween the extremities increases slightly at the same time. In the former 

 trial we have the toe-weights as agents of greater forward extension, 

 although in the uphill trial this greater extension does not obtain. The 

 fact of the near hind shoe being heavier is due to her habitual greater 

 extension with the off hind, but the effect was not convincing because 

 of her lack of action. These toe-weights are offset somewhat, as far 

 as the greater distance between fore and hind is concerned, by the 

 lower angle (52) of the hind feet. For, in the second trial (Fig. 

 ,206) we have no toe-weights but also a higher angle behind (53), 

 which we may consider as not materially changing the distance be- 

 tween .extremities from that of the previous trial. And still, the 

 greater stride (11.96) causes but a difference of 0.05 (3.45 340) 

 in the separation of hind and fore as compared with that of the shorter 

 stride (11.58). 



Therefore, the greater overstep in second trial must be due to the 

 somewhat greater extension caused by heavier hind shoes and by lesser 

 extension of the fore due to lighter shoes. This greater extension 

 of hind is still better seen in the comparative downhill drives where 

 the strides do not differ very much in length, and yet both the greater 

 overstep and the smaller separation of extremities occur in the second 

 trial with heavy hind shoes. 



All in all, this mixed-gaited and unsatisfactory filly proved by 

 her gait that any uphill drive brought out all the best that was in 

 her. The reason for this was apparently her lack of action behind, 

 which was improved by an uphill movement, and the fact that she had 



