VALUABLE HINTS TO FARKIEKS, ETC. 333 



LINE TROTTER 



AT A SLOW GAIT. 



SPEED HORSES AND THEIR STRIDE. 



§) 



Pig. 12. 



A, A, front footprints. 



B, B, hind footprints. 



It seems incumbent upon me to say a word 

 as to the o-aits and strides of liorses. In iren- 

 eral, it may be laid down that no two beings, 

 human or animal, are alike, so diversified is 

 nature ; and, therefore, what can be said of 

 one horse, can not be said of another. But 

 as each horse, when up to speed, has its own 

 individual stride, just as it has its own record 

 for speed, a few examples from the first in the 

 race will serve our purpose. Now, in the 

 first place, we should understand that in any 

 case, as a horse starts upon a walk, changes 

 to an amble, breaks into a trot, and then 

 speeds away, in each instance the stride is 

 lengthened, and when up to speed varies but 

 a trifle. Again, I have watched very closely, 

 and noticed that as a horse increases his speed 

 he quickens his strides. Take a horse, for 

 instance, going at a 2:30 gait, and su^Dpose he 

 increases his speed to a 2:20 "clip," the 

 change is quite noticeable. Let the speed be 

 increased to a 2:10 " clip," it is very plain he 

 must have quickened his stride ; and when 

 the speed drops down to 2:04 or 2:03f , the 

 increased number of strides is very noticeable. 

 The following illustration may make my point 

 more clear to the reader : 



Fig. 12 is the diagram of a line trotter at 

 a slow gait. In this instance it will be seen 

 by the footprints that the hind feet, B, B, fall 

 right in line and behind the front feet. A, A. 

 Such was Maud S at a slow, jogging trot. 

 The next illustration, Fig. 13, shows the 

 stride of Maud S when up to speed in her 



