34 HORSEMANSHIP. 



effort. But it is not always that these faultless gallopers are 

 the best stayers \ there is something flashy about them that 

 appears to assign a mile as about the length of their tether. 

 A horse that, with his head in its proper position, can, at a 

 good pace and collectedly, cross ridge and furrow is, in my 

 opinion, as near to the ideal of a galloper for most purposes 

 as need be. When fully extended the stride cannot be too 

 long, provided it is not the lobbing gallop of the wolf, is 

 vigorous, devoid of climbing in front, and with a powerful 

 recover and leverage from the propellers. The print of the 

 hind feet should be inches in front of the fore ones. Short, 

 proppy, or stilty action of the fore legs is indicative of 

 soreness from overwork, used joints, a recent sprain of the 

 shoulder from a sHp or fall, rheumatism, or chest-foimder. In 

 this last case the horse is said to be shoulder tied. Mayhap 

 some mischief in the feet, such as laminitis, coronitis, canker, 

 or navicular disease, may be the cause of the horse not 

 laying himself down to and stretching out fully in his gallop. 

 Some very fast horses gallop very wide behind — Eclipse, for 

 instance — others with the points of the hocks turned some- 

 what in towards each other, giving the appearance of what 

 we term knock-kneed in man. As a rule speed is more 

 frequently found in the latter conformation. Those that 

 are pinned in at the elbows seldom go with any ease to 

 themselves or comfort to the rider. As a rule they have 

 short, unpleasant, jarring action, and are liable to fall. The 

 horse that turns his toes out like a dancing master, must 

 have twisted ankles, is apt to hit himself, is Hable to break 

 down, but may withal have the gift of going. 



Pigeon-toed horses i.e. those with the fore feet turned in, 

 invariably make bad hacks. Ayston, Mr. Thomas 

 Assheton's famous mount, prized by his hard-riding master 

 as the finest performer that he ever " rode across Belvoir's 

 sweet vale," suffered from this malformation and was, in 



