338 A Manual of Veterinary Physiology. 



The Trot is a very simple pace to analyse (Fig. 40), for 

 the body is supported on diagonal legs (1), which by their 

 propulsion drives it off the ground, so that there is a period 

 during which there are no legs on the ground (2). When 

 the body comes to the ground again the next pair of 

 diagonal legs receive it (3), and once more propel it off the 

 ground. There are thus three stages to the trot ; the body 

 in two of them is supported by diagonal legs, and in one of 

 them the body is in the air. 



The trot appears to be the only pace in which instan- 

 taneous photography has supported the conventional 

 notions of this movement. We can see the trot, first, 

 because it is a simple pace, and secondly, because the body 

 is comparatively so long in the air. When a horse falls at 

 the trot, he does so through not bending his knee suffi- 

 ciently in bringing the leg forward, and the toe touches the 

 ground, or if the extension of the knee is not perfect he 

 also falls. When the knee has been well bent and the leg 

 brought forward, the limb is then sharply extended and the 

 foot placed down flat or heel first. 



Marey and Pages' curves of the fore and hind limb 

 during the trot are seen in Figs. 41 and 42. Observe the 

 knee-curve as the limb is in the air. The hock-curve in 

 Fig. 42 is much flatter than one would have expected, 

 whilst the foot-curve is a big one. 



In the Amble the horse, instead of using diagonal legs 

 uses the lateral limbs, so that off' fore and off' hind are on 

 the ground instead of off fore and near hind. A horse may 

 amble both at the walk and trot, in this respect resembling 

 a camel. There is no doubt that it is perfectly natural for 

 some horses to amble ; many others are taught the pace, as 

 it is a particularly pleasant one for the rider. 



In the Canter (Fig. 43) the body is pushed upward off 

 the ground by one fore-leg — we will say the off' fore (1) — 

 the near fore leading, and both hind being off the ground ; 

 in the next stage all the legs are off the ground though the 

 feet are no great distance from it (2); in the third stage the 

 body returns to the ground, alighting on the near hind-leg, 



