128 THE BREEDS OF LIVE-STOCK 
into full play, the recovery is necessarily slow. This is not 
only a bad fault, but gives one an idea that the horse is 
going one gait in front, and another behind. To use a 
trade expression, ‘‘ the horse is going in two pieces.” For 
a comfortable ride, knee and hock action must be equal ; 
and, given this equality, it cannot be too high. With all 
this, the ideal saddle horse must accomplish one more thing 
with his trot: he must trot with all four legs under him — 
the trot must be gathered ; he must come up into the bit, 
and still not pull an ounce. The trot of the ordinary horse 
is straggly and too much extended. The men who best 
accomplish this “‘ gathering ” of the trot are the most suc- 
cessful educators. 
143. The canter. — This gait, in its modern develop- 
ment, is a thing of beauty. The old “lope” or gallop, 
which seemed to ride one down hill, is relegated with the 
side swiping pace. The canter of to-day is high, bounding, 
elastic, gathered slow, and right under the horse. At this 
gait a horse’s hocks should be right under him, and the 
motion should come almost entirely from the front, while 
the quarters are sparingly used. The horse should lead 
with either foot, and change lead at command with such 
ease that no signal can be detected. His quarters should 
be so thoroughly flexed that they are always turned toward 
the center of the circle in which he may be supposed to be 
cantering. That is, when the horse is leading with the 
right foot his quarters should be well under him, and in to 
the right. In other words, the horse’s body should take 
the curve of the circle in which he is supposed to be canter- 
ing. This is the only possible way to get a comfortable 
and pleasing canter. At the same time, the rider should 
gently raise the horse, with an almost imperceptible pres- 
sure on the bit, at each upward bound. This is the canter 
