USUAL OR INSTINCTIVE EQUITATION 



the return of the feet is quicker than at the walk, 

 and their beat is about equally spaced. In other 

 words, at the regular walk there are heard two 

 beats in diagonal; at the amble, three beats in 

 lateral; at the rack, four beats in lateral. 



The rack was much favored in ancient times, 

 when there were no roads, when horses were ridden 

 without saddle or bridle, and the best gait was the 

 one which needed least skill and balance on the 

 rider's part. It is now obsolete. 



Single-foot is almost never taken by instinct, 

 unless the animal suffers from atrophy, weakness, 

 or fatigue. Occasionally, however, it is hereditary. 

 In the latter case, the correction of the fault is 

 nearly impossible and never permanent. If the 

 gait is the result of training, as it is sometimes in 

 Brittany, Mexico, and the western parts of the 

 United States, it is best cured by cavesson and 

 longe. 



The action in single-foot is a slow trot in front, 

 and a fast walk behind. It is exactly the movement 

 of a horse thoroughly tired out by a long journey, 

 which is nevertheless being urged forward by its 

 rider. Such an animal, again rested, will return to 

 his normal walk and trot. 



The irregular or artificial gaits may be the result 

 of training or of heredity. 



The amble is the same the world over, though 

 called amble in England, but rack, pace, or fox-trot 

 in the United States. The word does not matter, 



44 



