92 THE HORSE. 



ce^^ive action of tlie two hind feet at one moment, and of that of 

 che two fore feet at the next moment, than from the synchronous 

 efforts of either biped, as happens in the leap. The two great 

 propellers of the animal machine — the hind feet — are in the leap 

 required to act simultaneously, to make one grand propulsory 

 effort; not so in the gallop, that being a movement requiring main- 

 taining, not by synchronous exhausting efforts of the hind feet, 

 but in swift succession, first by one, then by the other; and the 

 same as regards the office performed by the fore limbs, which latter 

 probably amounts to little more in effect than the susteutation of 

 the fore parts of the body. The vault into the air required for 

 the leap is only to be effected by extraordinary subitaneous effort, 

 but the stride of the gallop, requiring frequent repetition, does 

 not exact this effort — amounts, in fact, to no more than a sort of 

 lift from the ground, multiplied into a reiteration of forcible bear- 

 ings forward, maintaining, increasing, or diminishing the momen- 

 tum of speed, effectuated by throwing the hind feet as flir forward 

 'inderneath the body as possible, plunging them one after the other 

 with inappreciable rapidity into the earth, and thus by two strenuous 

 thrusts against the ground, one in aid of the other, working the ani- 

 mal machine in its fleet — almost flying — course. In the gallop as in 

 the trot, no sooner is a certain momentum acquired, than by each 

 successive propulsion of .the hind feet the body is sprung or lifted 

 off the ground, flying as it appears in the air, and the greater the 

 speed, the more this volitation becomes apparent. Hence the ap- 

 pellation given to the pace, manifestly the utmost speed, of flying 

 GALLOP. Even this, however, according to my judgment, is ar 

 action different from leaping. When a horse leaps or jumps in his 

 gallop, — which he will do sometimes when he is beany and has but 

 just emerged out of his stable, — he is said to buck, because his 

 action then resembles that of the deer, in whom the gallop might 

 with a great deal more propriety be called a succession of leaps : 

 even the deer, however, cannot continue this bucking action after 

 being driven into his speed, or in a state of fatigue, showing that in 

 him it is to be regarded rather as a gambol than as his proper work- 

 ing onward action. And that the hind and fore feet in pairs are 

 not grounded synchronously, I think admits of a demonstration in 

 two ways: first, by the position they assume one in advance of the 

 other in the gallop ; secondly, by the clatter the steps of a horse 

 in the gallop are known to make upon hard or resonant ground, 

 and which may be heard either by a spectator or by the rider him- 

 self. Whence we probably derive the phrase, a rattling gallop." 



But while I agree with Mr. Percivall that there is a difference 

 between the act of leaping and galloping, as performed by the 

 horse, I do not quite see that it is an abuse of terms to describe 

 the gallop as a " succession of leaps" — that they are not preciselv 



