THE GAITS IN PARTICULAR. 521 



It is seen from this table, arranged according to the degree of 

 speed, that the latter augments, in general, in an inverse ratio with the 

 distance. This conclusion is, however, not applicable to all cases, 

 because certain trotters occupy in this table a position different from 

 that which they would have obtained had the severity of the task 

 effected been considered.^ 



Beauties and Defects of the Trot. — The beauties of the 

 gait of the trot consist in its regularity, gracefulness, height, and 

 speed. It is extremely rare to meet all of these combined in the same 

 subject. 



Its regularity is indicated by the synchronism of the beats and the 

 uniformity of the step. 



Its gracefulness consists in its lightness, ease, and suppleness, as 

 well as in the parallelism of the planes of oscillation of the mem- 

 bers in relation to the median plane. 



Its height is associated with the energy of propulsion and the length 

 of the projection. < 



The speed depends, as we haye seen, upon the length of the steps 

 and the frequency of their repetition in a given time. 



Observation can easily distinguish a good trotter. 



We will summarize the principal features of his conformation, such 

 as H. Bouley ^ has, in general, so accurately outlined : 



Amplitude of the chest, expressed externally by long and well- 

 arched ribs ; abdominal development proportional to the mass of the 

 body ; back and loins straight, full, muscular, situated upon the same 

 level as the croup, neither too long nor too short ; croup long, mus- 

 cular, not too horizontal, inclined 30 to 35 degrees ; haunches wide 

 and well detached ; head light, supported by a neck long, straight, and 

 pyramidal ; withers high, neat, not too thin, and prolonged backward ; 

 shoulder long and oblique ; arm little inclined ; elbows separated ; 

 forearm long, wide antero-posteriorly, furnished with muscles large 

 and well outlined under the skin ; knee flat in front, salient behind, 

 and, above all, articulated vertically ; canons short, strong, wide, ver- 

 tical ; tendons voluminous, clean, well detached, parallel to the canon ; 

 fetlock wide ; pasterns short, little inclined ; thigh long, muscular. 



1 We have purposely not included in the preceding observations this passage from Cardini : 

 "Jack, a celebrated trotting-horse which, in 1834, trotted two English miles in three minutes 

 and seven seconds, is cited." This horse would therefore have travelled in the time indicated, 

 3 k., 218 metres. By making the calculation, it is found that the speed would have been 17.208 

 m. per second. We believe that there is an error in the correctness of the time, for the most 

 remarkable trotters are too much below the speed attributed to Jack. 



^ H. Bouley, Nouveau Dictionnaire, etc., t. i. p. 394. 



