GENERAL EXAMINATION 15 



making light of the hardest effort. Then the conformation 

 which is but a living mechanism of levers, pullies and trans- 

 mitters must have the delicate adjustment and balance, that 

 gives grace and smoothness to every movement. Further 

 there cannot be any unsoundness to render less free or firm 

 the step as both these characteristics must be prominent in 

 actions of all kinds. The more action is studied the deeper 

 becomes the conviction that every attribute of the horse con- 

 tributes to it. Every quality comes more or less into play 

 and for that reason the difficulties in the way of securing the 

 typical action of the high degree of merit are almost insuper- 

 able. 



17. The Walk — Active, Straight, Level. Excellence at 

 this gait is a very desirable quality in all varieties of horses, 

 and unlike the trot its meritorious features are the same in 

 all, as it has no connection with type. In the enjoyment of 

 a road horse there is much to admire in the manner in which 

 he conducts himself when walking. It is questionable as to 

 which is the most pleasurable to observe — the walking of the 

 horse whose step is evenly timed and nervy, or the trotting 

 of one that has all the grace, style and snap that character- 

 izes the coacher. 



18. Observing Straightness of the Walk. In moving 

 away from you the feet of the active walker leave the ground 

 with a quick snap, showing in its passage the reflection 

 of the whole shoe. After leaving the ground with this 

 peculiar snap the foot swings upward and forward, then 

 the knee unfolds, the pastern carries the foot gracefully for- 

 ward and it again comes to the ground lightly but firmly 

 with the characteristic spring and snap that identified the 

 first mov^ement. The feet move straight away, swerving 

 neither to the left or to the right, nor should the folding of the 

 knees or the flexing of the hocks result in an outward pitch- 

 ing or spreading. A horse that will lift and plant his foot 

 in the way described almost invariably has the upheaded and 



