124 PACES OF THE HORSE. 



two notable facts : (i) The faster the pace, the greater ten- 

 dency has the hind foot to be placed beyond the fore foot 

 of the same side. Here we have the influence of instability 

 of equilibrium in increasing the speed {see p. 67). (2) The 

 faster the pace, the nearer do the foot-prints of all four 

 feet tend to come into the line of direction in which locomo- 

 tion takes place. As Lenoble du Teil expresses it, the foot- 

 prints of the race-horse at full speed resemble the marks that 

 would be made by the spokes of a wheel which had no felloes. 

 This fact proves the undesirabilit}', from a speed point of 

 view, of any undue width between either the fore or hind 

 legs {see p. 65). In Figs. 108 to 115, for which I am indebted 

 to MM. Barrier and Lenoble du Teil, the left hand dotted 

 line of each diagram represents the direction of the prints of 

 the near feet ; and the right one, those of the off feet. In 

 Figs. 108 and iii the prints of both fore feet are covered by 

 those of the hind feet. In Figs. 114 the prints of the near 

 fore foot are covered by those of the near hind foot. In 

 these figures, only the succession of the foot-prints has been 

 noted. No attempt has been made to mark the lateral 

 distances between the respective lines of direction of the 

 near and off feet. 



The length of stride in the canter is about 12 feet ; that of 

 the full speed gallop of the race-horse, about 24 feet. 



