CHAPTER VII. 



THE WALK. 



"And do you not love at evening's hour, 

 By the light of the sinking sun, 

 To wend your way o'er the widening moor, 

 Where the silvery mists their mystery pour. 



While the stars come one by one ? 

 Over the heath by the mountain's side, 

 Pensive and sweet is the evening's ride." 



E. Paxton Hood. 



In walking, the horse moves nearly simultane- 

 ously the two legs that are diagonally opposite 

 to each other, first one pair, and then the other. 

 Thus, the right fore and the left hind leg make 

 one step nearly at the same time, and when 

 these have touched the ground, the left fore 

 and the right hind leg are raised and advanced 

 in a similar manner, and so on in succession. 

 In this manner as one pair of legs moves on- 

 ward the other pair sustains the weight of the 

 animal; and of the two legs that act together 

 the fore one is raised from as well as placed 

 upon the ground slightly previous to the hind 

 one. This is the reason why a horse w^hich 

 walks well and in a regular manner will nearly 



