THE CANTER. 223 



Horses will be found to vary in their modes of 

 cantering, so much so as to render it almost 

 impossible to describe them accurately. Small 

 horses and ponies have a way of cantering with 

 a loose rein, and without throwing much weight 

 upon their haunches, moving their feet rapidly, 

 and giving pattering hoof-beats. Most ponies 

 on the. Western prairies canter in this manner, 

 and it is said to be a very easy gait for a horse- 

 man though very unpleasant, from its joltings, 

 for a lady. 



Another canter is what might be termed the 

 " canter of a livery-stable horse." This appears 

 to be partly a run and partly a canter, a pecul- 

 iarity which is due to the fact that one or more 

 of the animal's feet are unsound, and he adopts 

 this singular movement for the purpose of ob- 

 taining relief. The little street gamins in Lon- 

 don recognize the sound of this canter at once, 

 and will yell out, in time with the horse's hoof- 

 beats, " three pence, two pence/' in sarcastic 

 derision of the lady's hired horse and the un- 

 happy condition of his feet. 



In the true canter, which alone is suitable for 

 a lady, the carriage of the horse is grand and 

 elegant. In this gait, the animal has his hind- 

 legs well under his body, all his limbs move 

 regularly, his neck has a graceful curve, and 



