314 BREAKING FOR SPECIAL WORK. 



account, be imposed on that limb as on its fellow. 

 On a comparatively straight course, or on a course the 

 turns of which lend themselves to the purpose, and especi- 

 ally over a long distance, it would be manifestly an 

 advantage for a race horse to do half of the journey with 

 one fore leg leading, and the other half with the other 

 fore leg leading, provided that he could gallop equally well 

 in both cases. The fact that very few race horses can do 

 this, proves the necessity for such instruction. I need 

 hardly say that, when a horse is about twice as tired on one 

 fore leg as he is on the other, he ought to be able to gallop 

 far better if he could ease the tired limb at the expense of 

 the fresh one. Horses which habitually lead with one par- 

 ticular fore leg at the gallop or canter, generally lose the 

 ability of extending* themselves properly when they happen 

 to change the lead to the other fore leg. The cause of this 

 incompetence is, I think, due to the fact that, in the canter 

 or gallop, the centre of gravity of the animal's body is 

 more or less shifted to one side — namely, to that of the 

 leading fore leg. Hence, the horse which has been accus- 

 tomed to travel with more weight on, say, the right side, 

 when the off fore is leading, will naturally try to bear his 

 weight on the right side when the near fore is leading, 

 and will consequently go in an ill-balanced manner. 

 Besides, when such horses happen to change to the un- 

 accustomed fore leg, they sometimes omit to change the 

 leading hind leg, and consequently go disunited. I do not 

 think I need say more on the advisability, when breaking 

 in race horses, of teaching them to gallop equally well on 

 either fore leg, and to change the leading leg when 



