THE TROT 147 



fore, if a well-trained saddle-horse, but if standing at ease without bit or 

 bridle, he will be as likely to use one limb as another. 



When desiring to increase the pace he extends the length of the strides, 

 making them uniform and only breaking into a trot when a difficulty is 

 •experienced in any further extension. 



The walk is a four-time movement, the limbs moving one after the other 

 in about half the time which is occupied in one step. 



In the case of the well-trained saddle-horse referred to above, and in 

 which the lead is taken with the near fore, the sequence will be — (1) near 

 fore, (2) off hind, (3) off fore, (4) near hind ; while if the animal's move- 

 ments commence with the near hind, the sequence will be — (1) near hind, 

 (2) near fore, (3) off hind, (4) off fore ; and the resulting supports — (1) right 

 pair, (2) right diagonals, (3) left pair, and (4) left diagonals. 



THE TROT 



This pace may be described under three heads, namely, the jog trot, 

 the true trot, and the flying trot. In all three the diagonal limbs move 

 exactly together, but in the first the time during which each foot is on 

 the ground is much greater than that in which it is in the air. In the 

 second, the contrary is the case ; while, in the third, the horse is carried 

 completely off his legs for a considerable space of time, between the several 

 bounds which are made by the two feet of opposite sides as they touch the 

 ground in succession. The jog trot seems to come naturally to the horse 

 when he is first mounted ; and as long as he is fresh and fiery, the colt 

 will maintain this pace, unless he is permitted to exceed it. He will prefer 

 it to the walk for a long time; and it is only by good hands, combined 

 with patience, that a spirited colt can be made to walk ; for he can 

 generally jog quite as slowly, and often much more so. Farmers are very 

 apt to accustom their young horses to the jog trot, because they find by 

 experience that it does not injure their legs or feet; but to a rider 

 unaccustomed to this pace it is by no means an easy one. In the true 

 trot, as exemplified below, the feet are on the gi'ound a comparatively short 

 space of time, the body being carried so rapidly forward that they are 

 moved off almost as soon as they are deposited on it. By examining this 

 outline, it will be seen that the position of the fore and hind limbs of 

 the two opposite sides exactly corresponds, and this will be the case, 

 whatever may be the period of the action in which the observation is made. 



The trot is a two-time movement effected by the alternate action of 

 the two diagonals, the fore and hind-legs moving in the same way. 



Fig. 1 shows the left diagonals or near fore and off hind supporting the 

 horse while the off fore and near hind limbs are flexed. 



Fig. 2. The position is reversed, the opposite diagonals being shown as 

 supporting the animal, while the near fore and off hind are reflexed. 



Figs. 3 and 4 represent the position occupied immediately prior to the 

 feet leaving the ground. 



In the flying trot, which is well shown in the portrait of Flora Temple, 

 at page 4G, all the legs are for a very short period of time off the ground, 

 as is there delineated, but still there is always an exact correspondence 



