1 62 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL 



action of the trot when going rapidly. If the 

 balanced and diagonal movement of the trot be 

 maintained, the vigorous efforts of the hind-legs, as 

 they rapidly propel the mass, insure that unity of 

 action with their corresponding fore-legs that marks 

 the pace. 



In the true trot, therefore, the horse has never 

 more than two feet upon the ground at the same 

 time, and goes into air at every spring from the 

 diagonally disposed bearers. 



But horses that are carelessly ridden, or that draw 

 heavy loads, do not take the true trot when they are 

 urged, at low rates of speed, from the walk. This 

 hybrid pace we may call the jog-trot. It has some- 

 thing of the springy step of the trot, but there are 

 stages in which, as in the walk, three feet touch the 

 ground at the same time, and the animal is never 

 quite free from the ground. The jog-trot results 

 when the hind-legs are not moved synchronously 

 with their diagonally disposed fore-legs, but follow 

 their leaders with more or less of an interval, 

 depending upon the want of vigour with which they 

 are moved. In the instantaneous photographs, the 

 horse in the jog-trot can only be distinguished from 

 the walking horse by the very light bearing on the 

 third foot in the two stages where, in the walk, three 

 feet are firmly planted. 



