SH.1PE. 23 



"We will now come to the judging of a horse's 

 shoulders by watching his action while in motion. 



I would here say that as the only reason why 

 a good shoulder is better for riding is because the 

 horse will have better and safer action with a good 

 shoulder, therefore, if you are certain that a horse's 

 action is good, there is no need to go any further. 



All, therefore, that is required to be done is to be 

 certain that the action really is good, and does not 

 only seem so. In order to observe a horse's action 

 properly he should be walked up and down in the 

 road past you, and then trotted slowly round you in 

 a large circle, and afterwards galloped round. 



in walking he should carry his head well up, and 

 walk freely and rapidly, with long strides ; but the 

 trot is the pace which tests a horse's action most. 

 In order to trot well a horse should lift his knees up 

 high and throw his feet forward a long way in front 

 of his breast, and should trot fast. Some horses 

 bend their knees and pick up their feet high, but 

 cannot put them forward at all ; that is, they put 

 them down again under their chest instead of under 

 their nose. This can be detected by comparing the 

 pace they are moving their legs with the pace they 

 are getting over the ground. If they appear to be 

 moving their legs very rapidly, and still not to be 

 going fast, their action is not good. They can trot 

 pretty well over broken ground, but cannot go fast 

 and cannot very well recover themselves if they 

 stumble. 



