68 THE ADVENTURES OF A GENTLEMAN 



In some horses, defective action is of course far 

 more difficult to discover than the limp occasioned by 

 disease ; but still there are general rules by which 

 the judgment may be guided. I have already notic- 

 ed the usual difference in high-bred and other horses. 

 It follows, that in criticising action, attention must 

 be paid to the breeding of the horse ; but in both 

 classes it may safely be laid down as a maxim, that 

 a bold and decided motion from the shoulder is good, 

 especially if the head is well and evenly carried ; the 

 knee should be fairly bent, the foot placed firmly and 

 fearlessly on the ground, and the toes in a direct 

 line with the body, neither inclining to one side nor 

 the other. The hind legs should be "well gathered" 

 under the body, with the toes fairly raised from the 

 ground, and the hind feet spread pretty accurately 

 in the impress of the fore feet. If they pass beyond, 

 the agreeable, accompaniment, vulgarly termed "ham- 

 mer and click," is very likely to be heard; not when 

 the horse is shown, for there are easy means of pre- 

 venting its being audible, such as allowing the toe of 

 of the hind foot to extend a little over the shoe. — 

 This noise is made by the hind shoe striking against 

 the interior rim of the fore shoe, so that if the horn 

 of the hind foot covers the iron, the collision with 



