GENERALITIES OF THE GAITS. 473 



the ground entirely at certain moments, either during the same step or 

 between two successive steps. 



The styles of horsemanship is a name given to a certain number of 

 rhythmical movements, comparable to dancing as performed by man, 

 and acquired by the same education, which develop in the horse har- 

 mony of figure and suppleness of body ; they communicate to him 

 elegance, grace, and a good physiognomy. The principal movements 

 are termed by the French the passage, the piaffer (paiving), the crou- 

 pade, the ballottade, and the courbefte. 



Their study belongs to the domain of the high school, a superior 

 equestrianism which teaches how to poise (to place without fatigue) the 

 mounted horse in all the attitudes which his conformation renders 

 possible. The number of exercises of the high school belongs more 

 strictly to a treatise on riding and horsemanship, and will be omitted 

 here. 



A mounted horse is called poised or in equilibrium when he is 

 capable, through the dressing, of obeying the aids of the rider (hands 

 and legs) without unnecessary eiforts and with the absolute freedom 

 of those muscular groups whose action is necessary to produce the 

 desired effect. The animal, in such cases, preserves during his work 

 what horsemen call suppleness of the movements ; he becomes, then, 

 from his free and easy motions, altogether comparable to the gymnast, 

 master of his body. 



Diverse Qualifications applicable to the Gaits. — Accord- 

 ing to the forms which they assume the gaits are called : 



Diagonal, when the members, in executing them, move or succeed 

 one another in diagonal bipeds. Example, the trot, the walk, the 

 gallop. 



Lateral, when they evolve themselves, on the contrary, by lateral 

 bipeds. Example, ambling, racking. 



Beautiful, when they are energetic, extended, regular, harmonious, 

 elegant. 



Defective, when they produce Aveakness and require great exertion. 

 Example, racking. 



Long, elongated, when their strides are as extensive as possible. 



Small, short, in the opposite case. 



Reading, high, when they impress the centre of gravity with strong 

 vertical displacements, which at each step very sensibly separate the 

 body from the ground. 



Low, when the distance of the displacements of the body from the 

 soil is small. 



