THE TROT. 233 



experienced man would not be apt to mistake for unsoundness 

 such irregularity of gait ; no careful veterinary surgeon would 

 test a horse for lameness when mounted, by having him ridden 

 at a trot by a man who went up and down in the saddle. In 

 such a case, the rider should of course bump in the saddle in 

 military style, so as not to favour one leg more than the other. 

 Although the trot is a diagonal pace of two time (near fore 

 and off hind, and off fore and near hind), more weight falls 

 on the fore legs than on their respective hind fellows. 



Fig. 197. Rising at the trot. 



As a rule, the body should be slightly bent forward when 

 sitting down at the trot (Fig. 196), so as to be ready for the 

 rise; and should be held upright when standing in the stirrups 

 (Fig. 197). If the horse pulls hard, the rider may lean a little 

 back, so as to use his strength to more advantage. The 

 majority of fast trotters are hard pullers ; though some of 

 them will slacken speed the moment the rider lets the reins 

 loose. The knack (an easy one) of rising in the stirrups can 

 be learned only by practice. One should endeavour to time 



