HORSE BACK RIDING. 23 



weight of the body, a shock takes place — that is to 

 say, that all the movements of impulse given to the 

 body of the animal cause a displacement which is 

 communicated to the rider. 



These concussions are repeated at intervals more 

 or less frequent, according to the rapidity of the 

 movement of the animal, and they are more or less 

 strong according to the gait of the latter, the nature 

 of the soil, the quality of the horse, and the skill of 

 the one who rides. 



To proceed in order, we must next, aided by the 

 excellent pages of Dr. Chassaigne (which he kindly 

 placed at our service), examine the modifications 

 which the different gaits of the animal exert on the 

 movements communicated to the horseman. 



All the movements of the horse which have pro- 

 gression for their object — and these are they which 

 we are specially to consider — may be classed in three 

 groups and are called natural gaits. They are the 

 walk, the trot, and the gallop. All others, such as 

 single-foot, Spanish step, ambling, cantering, hunt- 

 ing and racing gallops are the results of education 

 or bad habits. 



Walking is a natural gait, since the horse always 

 rests on the ground. In it we distinguish four differ- 

 ent measures or beats. In the firsts we have the 

 horse carried forward by raising and advancing the 

 right fore-foot ; this is followed, at a very short in- 

 terval, by the corresponding movement of the left 



