6so A MANUAL OF VETERINARY PHYSIOLOGY 



The Canter varies greatly in velocity, depending, as we have 

 seen, on the length of the spring. The stride may be from g| feet 

 in a slow, to n£ feet in a fast, canter. 



The Trot is generally performed at a pace of yi to 8J miles per 

 hour, the length of the stride being between 7 and 10 feet. When 

 trotting matches were popular in this country, some remarkable 

 feats of endurance were obtained. In 1780* a mare trotted 16 miles 

 in 58I minutes, carrying 12 stone. She repeated the performance 

 when eighteen years old. In 1785 Archer trotted 16 miles in 

 54$ minutes, but died the next day. In America, where trotting 

 has reached a degree of excellence unknown elsewhere, some astonish- 

 ing velocities have been obtained, the mile being covered in 1 minute 

 58^ seconds, or 30*4 miles per hour. 



The Walk of an ordinary horse is a mile every 15 minutes, the 

 length of the stride being from 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 10 inches. 



Endurance Tests. — A few years ago long rides were inaugurated 

 on the Continent with the object, it was stated, of encouraging the 

 development of the horse for long distance work in war. These rides 

 are practically physiological experiments, and are consequently of 

 interest. The first was from Brussels to Ostend, a distance of 

 82 miles. The winner covered the distance in seven hours. Of 

 61 horses entering, 17 died, and 17 got no farther than the sixty- 

 second mile. In subsequent rides the principle of racing was 

 abolished, and the essential factors governing the results were the 

 maintenance of condition and fitness. Two of these may be briefly 

 referred to. One year the distance was 250 miles. This was 

 covered in 50 hours, the last 53 miles being completed at i2| miles 

 an hour. Another year the distance was 93 miles, which was 

 covered in io| hours. Out of 47 starters only 24 came in, and but 

 15 of these were qualified. Tests such as these are no indication of 

 the endurance of the average horse, for in all these trials the animals 

 are the pick of many thousands, and, notwithstanding, we have seen 

 that 50 per cent, fell out in the last trial above recorded. 



Two features in these tests need noting. One of these is repre- 

 sented by an aphorism as old as horses themselves. It is the physio- 

 logical truth that ' it is the pace which kills.' The other raises 

 the question of whether there is any deterioration in the stamina 

 of horses. Are they as capable of withstanding fatigue as the 

 horse of, say, two hundred years ago ? A good deal of evidence 

 might be brought forward, including that mentioned on p. 641, 

 to show that the same powers of endurance are not exhibited, and 

 the explanation would appear to be that with an increase in body 

 height there is a falling off in stamina. The standard of height 

 with horses generally has been raised, in order to obtain greater 

 speed in the case of the race-horses, and with other breeds to meet 

 the demands of fashion. But with this increase in stature there 

 certainly appears to be a reduction in stamina. The cavalry of 

 Frederick the Great astonished Europe, and what they did con- 

 stitutes an object-lesson for cavalry for all time. But in order to 

 get his results the same class of horse must be employed. The 

 standard of height for cavalry since his day has been raised 4 inches 

 and over. 



* J. Lawrence, op. cit. 



