156 THE HORSE. 



In the work on The Horse, by Stouehenge and 

 Lnptori, whicli was published in the month of October, 

 1861, two pages are devoted to the consideration of 

 the toe, and heel, action. In place of putting me down 

 as the originator of the idea of the heel action in the 

 year 1848, they have taken the entu-e credit of the 

 matter to themselves. Their conduct in this affair is 

 to be regi'etted much more on their own account than 

 on mine. Stouehenge claims that he brought the view 

 before the public in October, 1855, and Mr. Lupton, 

 before the profession in 1858. There is no doubt Mr. 

 Lupton stated the case very plainly in 1858 ; but it is 

 exceedingly questionable whether the language used by 

 Stouehenge in 1855, in his " British Rural Sports," 

 page 526, will bear the construction he noiv wishes to 

 put on it. At any rate, it is perfectly evident from 

 his observations on stumbling, at the 533rd page of 

 the same book, that the idea of the real heel action 

 had not then entered into his imagination. In place of 

 supporting the claim he now makes, his observations, 

 on the last-mentioned page, prove that he had not the 

 most remote conception of this mode of progression, 

 and did not understand the subject. After supporting 

 the exceedingly doubtful opinion that stumbling fre- 

 quently occurs in the lifting of the foot, he says, " The 

 next cause (of stumbling) is from the foot being put 

 down too far back, and too much on the toe, so that 



