BREAKING, GENTLING AND TRAINING. 



517 



ties are of no account in this one. Their feet are large and 

 coarse ; they lack quickness and suppleness ; their motions 

 are dull and heavy,, and they drag their hind limbs along in 

 a most awkward, sluggish manner. High, sharp shoulders 

 and hips, with the tail set high — almost on a level, in fact, 

 with the top of the hips — never belong to a good saddle- 

 horse. 



There is a breed of pacing horses in our country that almost 

 invariably make excellent saddle-horses. These are natural 

 pacers, taking to this move- 

 ment almost from their births 

 and having no other travel- 

 ing gait. Horses not natu- 

 rally pacers are often broken 

 to the gait by tying a short 

 side-line to the right side of 

 the bit, and then to the stir- 

 rup, so that the head will be 

 pulled to the right every 

 time a step is taken. The 

 same end will be answered 

 by holding the right rein 

 closely drawn with the hand, 

 thus giving the horse in his forward progress a rocking mo- 

 tion. Other means have occasionally been practiced to break 

 the horse to this gait. The horse that is not naturally a 

 pacer is seldom a very desirable animal under the saddle 

 when made such by artificial means. 



Another exceedingly pleasant and easy gait is the "fox- 

 trot," as it is called, which may be taught almost any horse 

 of small, clean limbs and feet, and a quick, active step. This 

 is done by gradually forcing the animal into a movement 

 faster than a walk, but never allowing him to strike a trot. 

 Continued careful practice will make this motion a confirmed 

 habit. 



In the army, officers' and cavalry horses are preferably 

 chosen from natural trotters, their gait being one consistent 



