A CON I TE — A C TION 



Aconite. — See Poisons. 



Action. — The manner in which a horse moves his legs 

 is described as action, and his movements must naturally 

 depend upon his conformation. A horse that is required 

 to go fast is necessarily a lighter built and narrower chested 

 animal than one whose work necessitates his moving slowly. 

 His shoulders, too, should be longer and more sloping, and 

 in fact, generally speaking, he should be the more active- 

 looking horse. 



There is a great deal of difference, moreover, between 

 high - class harness and saddle action, for the high-stepper 

 is not by any means so easy a ride as the smoother actioned 

 daisy-cutter, who only raises his feet a few inches from the 

 ground, and makes much more use of his shoulders than 

 of his knees. 



As a matter of course, the efforts of mankind have 

 materially influenced the natural action of all breeds of 

 horses, the majority of which are the results of the carefully 

 thought-out crosses which have been the care of breeders 

 for generations past. As an instance of this, the cantering 

 and galloping action is not inherited by the hackney, many 

 of which can trot faster than they can gallop, whilst all of 

 the foals of this variety trot in preference to cantering. On 

 the other hand, a youthful thoroughbred, or a half-bred if 

 the offspring of a blood-horse, rarely trots more than a few 

 yards at a time, the reason in each instance being that the 

 formation of the animals adapts itself to one of the above 

 actions and not to the other. 



Action undoubtedly can be developed and improved by 

 a proper course of training, but it is obviously the case that 

 better results must attend the scientific schooling of a well- 

 built colt, that is, one which, owing to its conformation, is 

 adapted to the particular action which it is sought to improve, 

 than it will be in the case of a natural galloper which is 

 being schooled to trot, or vice versa. 



The recognised action of any breed of horse is one of its 



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