THE TROT 



14J 



shoulders ; for if the former do not drive the body well forward, good 

 pace cannot be obtained, nor will it be easy and rhythmical. In this kind 

 of trot elastic fetlocks are fatal to speed, as they prevent the instantaneous 

 eflfect upon the body of the muscular contractions of the hind limbs, and 



cause the action to be dwelling and slow. Very fast trotters are, therefore, 

 rough in their " feel " to the rider, and are not suited for the purposes of 

 pleasure. Indeed, no one would mount one of them from choice ; but 



when they possess good mouths, they are pleasant enough to drive. In 

 examining trotting action, regard should be paid to the plane through 

 which each limb passes, for if this is not parallel with that of the median 

 line of the body the action is not true and smooth, and there is great risk 

 of one limb cutting the other. This is best seen by watching the trot 



