LOCOMOTOR SYSTEM 629 



legs ; at two periods it is on three legs ; and at one period on 

 diagonal legs. 



Turning now to actual photographs of these movements, 

 Fig. 208 (1) shows the propulsion from the ground by means of 

 the off fore-leg ; (2) represents the animal in the air ; (3) shows 

 the horse alighting on the near or diagonal hind-leg ; (4) exhibits 

 the animal standing on two lateral legs, the off hind, it will be 

 observed, not yet having reached the ground. In (5) the body 

 is on three legs, both hind and near fore ; in (6) the animal is on 

 diagonal legs, near fore and off hind only : the toe of the near 

 hind is just leaving the ground. Had the picture been taken 

 the minute fraction of a second later, this foot would have been 

 seen off the ground. The animal, however, is clearly on diagonal 

 legs, for a hind-leg thrust as far back as that shown in (6) is of 

 little support. In the next figure (7) the off fore-leg has come 

 to the ground, and the horse is standing on three legs. Of these, 

 first the near fore (8) is snatched up, leaving the body balanced 

 on both lateral legs, followed by the off hind (9), which leaves 

 the animal on one fore-leg, the off, preparatory to the final 

 spring, which is farther advanced in (1), and actually occurring 

 in (2). 



The canter is an easy pace for the rider, owing to the number 

 of limbs supporting the body in turn, as many, in fact, as in the 

 walk ; it is this which gives smoothness to the working. To 

 obtain smoothness the limbs must follow in definite order. 

 A horse that can only canter with the off fore leading is any- 

 thing but comfortable when he tries to lead with the near fore ; 

 it is impossible for him to group his legs in the correct order 

 — everything is disjointed owing to want of proper co-ordination. 

 It should form an essential part of the training of every saddle- 

 horse to teach him to lead freely with either fore-leg. In this 

 way he will change as one leg tires, and so save himself from a 

 sprained limb. 



The essential features of the canter being a hind-step, a fore- 

 step, and a spring, it is desirable to glance at the value of these 

 in an ordinary horse. The step with either a pair of fore or 

 hind legs varies from 37 to 43 inches in length. The stride varies 

 from 9 feet 8 inches to 11 feet 8 inches. The difference in the 

 length of the stride does not depend so much on variations in 

 the length of the step as in marked variations in the distance 

 of the spring. In a slow canter the spring may be J foot or even 

 less, whereas in a fast canter it may be 2 feet or more. The 

 tracks left by a horse cantering are shown in Fig. 212. The 

 length of this horse's stride was 10 feet 8 inches, and the spring 

 forward was 6 inches. 



