2 26 JUDGING HORSES 



without regard to style. The roadster and trotting horses 

 are extreme types of hght horses, and while endurance is 

 the main consideration, the horse should be free from all 

 fleshiness. The limbs should be flat, long, and strong, the 

 pasterns gently sloping and long, and the feet large and 

 of good quality. The body should be rangy and closely 

 ribbed up to the hip. The animal should be refined, the 

 hair fine and silky, the skin thin and of fine quality, and the 

 veins prominent. 



The Saddle Horse. — The American saddle horse is a 

 distinct type. The saddle horse is stylish, and strong, with 

 an easy, springy gait. In judging the saddle horse par- 

 ticular attention should be paid to his gaits, and the readi- 

 ness with which he performs. The gaits of the saddle horse 

 are : (i) walk, (2) trot, (3) rack, (4) canter, (5) slow pace, 

 (6) running walk, (7) fox trot. 



Gaits. — The three natural gaits of the horse are the walk, 

 the trot, and the gaUop. Occasionally there are natural 

 pacers, but they are not common. In the walk, the hind 

 foot on one side is brought forward and is placed upon the 

 ground near the spot where the front foot of the same side 

 was placed and almost immediately after it had left the 

 ground. The trot is an angular gait, the front foot of one 

 side and the hind foot of the opposite side being carried 

 forward at the same time. In the pace the front foot 

 and the hind foot on one side are carried forward at the 

 same time. This gives the horse a swaying motion. In 

 the single-foot or rack each foot touches the ground 

 at a different time. It may be called a " slow gait," 

 but is somewhat faster than the walk, and is one which 

 the horse can keep up for a great length of time. The 

 canter is a slow gallop, a very easy riding gait, easily 



