96 PACES OF THE HORSE. 



or it is the distance one foot is removed from its fore or hind 

 fellow. 



The term, period of suspension, will serve to designate 

 the time during which the animal is completely off the 

 o-round at any particular pace, or when jumping. 



Natural paces are those which the horse adopts of his 

 own accord, without any teaching from man ; artificial paces, 

 those which he performs only after special training. 



Time (as applied to the rhythm of a pace) is the number 

 of separate steps in each stride of that pace. Thus, the 

 amble, in which the right pair and left pair move alternately, 

 is a pace of two time ; and the walk, in which each limb 

 moves separately, is a pace of four time. 



To prevent any chance of confusion, I shall limit, in this 

 chapter, the meaning of the word pace to particular and 

 distinct methods of progression, and shall not use it as a 

 synonym for the word speed. 



The Trot. — We may select the trot to begin with, as 

 it is the simplest of all ordinary paces. Although it is 

 essentially a natural pace, some horses which have been 

 trained to amble, require a good deal of teaching to give up 

 the amble and to trot in true style. It consists of the 

 alternate action, in progression, of the two diagonals, in each 

 one of which the fore and hind leg move in the same manner. 

 Thus, in Figs. 39 and 41, we have the left diagonal support 

 and right diagonal support shown, as the diagonal pairs of 

 feet come alternately to the ground. Figs. 40 and 42 depict 

 the position the limbs occupy, just before the feet quit the 

 o-round. I need hardly say that it is a pace of two time. 



We may divide the trot into three kinds : (i) The short 

 or slow trot, in which the prints of each respective hind 



