34 THE HORSE, ASS, AND MULE 



average height may be placed at 1 5 1 hands, and a large percentage 

 of these horses weigh about 1050 pounds. 



The color of the American saddle horse is of several shades. 

 Brown, bay, black, and chestnut are common, while gray is much 

 less so. Some families tend more to one color than another, 

 as, for example, with the Denmarks black is predominant, while 

 with the Chiefs chestnut prevails. Color is not regarded as of 

 prime importance. 



The gaits of the saddle horse are especially distinctive. Sad- 

 dlers may be divided into two classes: (i) the walk-trot-canter 

 horse, having gaits commonly found in all saddlers ; and (2) the 

 American saddle horse in particular, having the walk, trot, canter, 

 rack, and the running walk or fox trot or slow pace. 



A comprehensive discussion of the gaits of the saddle horse, 

 coming from the pen of one well qualified to present the subject 1 

 and long identified with saddle-horse interests, the writer thinks 

 appropriate to introduce here. 



There are different kinds of saddle horses, and they are classified in part 

 at least by their gaits. The three natural gaits of a horse are the walk, trot, 

 and gallop, or run. Artificially, that is, by education, the gallop is made into a 

 canter, which is a gait performed by practically the same movement of the legs, 

 but slower, more restrained, and easier to ride. We then have one kind of a 

 saddle horse called the walk-trot-canter, GS plain-gaited, horse. This horse suits 

 a lot of people, primarily, because they do not know any other gait ; secondarily, 

 because they are imitators of the English fashion of riding ; and lastly, and 

 leastly, because they do not like other educated and easier gaits. 



These easier gaits are the running walk and the rack. The latter is also 

 called single foot, inasmuch as in this gait each foot has a separate impact 

 on the ground, no two of them striking it at the same time, as in the trot 

 and pace, 



The running walk is called a slow gait, and there are two other gaits allied 

 to it, the slow pace and the fox trot. The name " running walk " defines 

 the gait accurately, and at once identifies it to the understanding. It is faster 

 than a flat-foot walk, and is produced by a movement of the legs more rapid 

 than in a walk, but in about the same rhythm ; that is, each foot strikes the 

 ground independently of the others. Most horses going the running walk bob 

 or nod their heads, and some of them even flop their ears in rhythm with their 

 footfalls. It is an all-day gait, easy alike to the horse and the rider, and it 

 covers ground at an astonishing fashion for its apparent speed. It is taught 

 by urging a horse out of the walk but restraining him from a trot. 



1 Editorial by the late W. R. Goodwin, Jr., Breeders' Gazette, June 10, 1903 



