224 THE HORSE BOOK. 



movements than mere speed. The gallop and run are 

 natural gaits; the hand-gallop and canter are cultivated 

 gaits. The two first-named are rough to ride, the other 

 two are pleasant. The cultivated canter is not only the 

 slowest movement of this action, but it is performed with 

 more restraint; the horse works more on his haunches; 

 his hind legs are better under him; he bounds up in front 

 lightly and drops to the ground in the same manner, sus^ 

 taining his weight on his hind legs and haunches instead 

 of letting it come down 'ker-plunk,' as in the gallop or run. 

 The canter is done on the curb, and the horse arches his 

 neck and sets his head a little lower than in trot or rack, 

 but the educated horse does not take hold hard in a can- 

 ter. The slower this gait is performed, when done with 

 promptness, animation and exactness, the better. Hence 

 the Kentucky expression: 'He can canter all day in the 

 shade of an apple tree.' But it should not be a lazy, list- 

 less, loose gait. The fore feet should rise from the ground 

 almost simultaneously and the hind feet likewise. The 

 'three-foot' canter or a canter in front and a rack or 

 'jiggle' behind, is not desirable; it is a mixed gait. The 

 horse that seems fairly aching to run and yet restrains his 

 spirits at the will of the rider and canters lightly on the 

 curb at about five miles an hour is doing the proper caper. 

 This is the educated saddle gait. A gallop is faster, unedu- 

 cated and far less pleasant to ride. When a horse can 

 canter the rider should have more pride in the gait than to 

 call it a 'lope.' 



"All saddle horses educated in the South are broken prac- 

 tically alike. That is, they have been taught the same sig- 

 nals for changing gaits. When trainers themselves have 

 not been educated, but are of the rough 'home-spun' kind, 

 there is no such uniformity of signals. If your horse has 

 been educated by a competent trainer, let us ride out to- 

 gether and see what can be done with him. We will start 

 on the walk; that is the foundation of all sadde gaits. If 

 riding with a double-rein bridle, with curb and snaffle bits, 

 take him on the snaffle lightly. By word or touch of whip 

 or crop, or by touch of spur if necessary, urge him to the 

 top of his speed at the flat-foot walk. Keep him up to the 

 mark. There is a time to lay the reins loosely on his neck 

 and loaf, but not now. Hold him steadily at the flat-foot 

 walk, and if he is a good walker he will carry you four 

 miles an hour; if he takes you five miles in that time you 

 have as good a walker as any man possesses. 



"Now we will go from the walk to the running-walk or 

 slow-pace the slow 'jiggle.' These are easier gaits than 



