150 LEAPING. 



A few horses can leap (especially height) cleverly from the 

 trot, which is a useful accomplishment in a hunter ; for 

 it may enable him, when in a difficult position (as when 

 jumping out of a lane), to utilise a "run " which would be 

 too short for the longer stride of the canter or gallop. 

 Besides, at these paces there is only one period of 

 the stride at which the animal can take off (pp. 148 

 and 149) ; but in the trot there are two such periods, 

 namely, when the respective diagonals come to the 

 ground. A horse, however, cannot jump so freely and 

 " big " from the trot as from the canter or gallop, in each 

 stride of which, the hind legs are brought nearly together 

 under the horse's body (Figs. 153 and 187), ready, if need 

 be, to change the pace into the leap (Fig. 229). In the 

 trot, each hind limb moves harmoniously with its diagonal 

 fore leg ; but in the opposite direction to its hind fellow. 



In examining the various kinds of the leap of the 

 horse, we must remember that he has a long distance 

 (that from his hocks or buttocks to his muzzle) of body 

 to carry over a fence, independently of raising it to a 

 sufficient height ; hence his high jump partakes much 

 more of the long jump than the high jump of a man, 

 whose body is carried more vertically than horizontally. 

 For this reason, it is more essential for a horse than for 

 a man to " get up " a fair amount of speed, in order 

 to jump height well. 



The speed at which a horse goes at a jump (supposing 

 that it does not prevent him from " collecting " himself 

 properly), influences the width he can clear ; because (as 

 we have seen on p. 64) the force by which he is projected 

 forward into the air is equal to the force of propulsion 

 derived from his limbs, plus the impetus due to the speed 

 at which^he is going. The greater this irhpetus, the smaller 

 will be the " angle of projection " at which the centre of 

 gravity of the body is propelled forward. 



We may, with approximate accuracy, deiine the 

 " angle of projection," as the angle which a line passing 



