20 JUDGING LIGHT HORSES 



stepper or carriage horse as the latter must keep his legs 

 under him to gather himself together in the proper degree. 

 A wider spread in the. movement of the hind legs in the 

 instance of the trotter is not as bad a fault as it would 

 be if associated with the carriage horse. It is frequently 

 noticeable as a distinction between the action of a trotter 

 and coacher, that the latter is balanced in stride when 

 going an easy gait but becomes unbalanced or weak when 

 urged beyond it, while the trotter may very often show 

 an uneven gait when moving slowly but when urged to 

 the limit of its speed, displays truly balanced action with- 

 out any tendency towards losing its stride. 



25. The Pacing Gait Level and True. A study of this 

 gait will disclose the fact that there is more variations in it 

 than in any other form of action. Horses pace in many 

 ways, some lurching, others shuffling and many more wob- 

 bling in an unsightly manner; but, however they may go, 

 they are nearly all characterized by possessing speed. A 

 level and true pacer displays a sightly gait. In pacing level 

 and true the body remains steadier than in any other move- 

 ment. The legs move in harmony with the directness of a 

 machine. The nervy, machine-like pace peculiar to many of 

 the fast pacing animals is a study in the degree to which the 

 minimum of effort results in the maximum of speed. Some 

 horses pace because of bent hocks, others because of ungain- 

 ly proportion but when the gait results from breeding and is 

 the outcome of straight and direct movement, it is difficult to 

 imagine a gait with less friction or display of effort. In the 

 instance of the horse that possesses 1 true excellence at this 

 gait, if you were to shut off your view of the limbs in mo- 

 tion, you would have the impression that the animal was 

 standing on a rapidly moving train hidden from your view, 

 so little does the body and other parts above the line make 

 any display of effort. As a rule the pace from the stand- 

 point of the spectator is an unsightly gait, but one that is 

 usually thoroughly enjoyable from the point of view of the 

 driver. Owing to the ease with which the pacer moves and 



