THE GALLOP. 93 



similar to those made in overcoming an obstacle does not necessa- 

 rily make them other than leaps. The word leap is not defined in 

 our dictionaries so as to confine its meaning beyond that appertain- 

 ing to its synonym, spring, and probably even Mr. Percivall would 

 not deny that in the gallop, the horse, as well as the deer, makes 

 a succession of springs. The dispute is founded, as is so often the 

 case, upon a want of agreement as to the meaning of a word, and 

 not on a difference of opinion as the essence of the act itself. 

 Blaine, Percivall, and every careful observer of the horse in action, 

 well know that in the act of galloping the horse leaves the print 

 of his hind feet one in advance of the other, while in leaping he 

 generally, in fact almost invariably, makes them opposite one 

 another. There is a contradiction apparent in Percivall's remarks 

 about the deer's gallop, which in one place he observes " might 

 with a great deal more propriety be called a succession of leaps," 

 while in the next sentence he says that this " bucking action" in 

 the deer " is to be regarded rather as a gambol than as his proper 

 working onward action." The deer's gallop very ciosely resembles 

 that of the horse, but as he is a stronger and higher leaper, espe- 

 cially in proportion to his size, he can continue those bounds with 

 the hind legs opposite each other much longer and with more ad- 

 vantage than the horse, who seldom makes more than two or three 

 in succession. 



To represent the GALLOP pictorially in a perfectly correct 

 manner is almost impossible. At all events it has never yet been 

 accomplished, the ordinary and received interpretation being alto- 

 gether erroneous. When carefully watched, the horse in full 

 gallop will be seen to extend himself very much, but not nearly to 

 the length which is assigned to him by artists. To give the idea 

 of high speed the hind legs are thrust backward and the fore legs 

 forward in a most unnatural position, which if it could be assumed 

 in reality would inevitably lead to a fall, and most probably to a 

 broken back. It is somewhat difficult to obtain a good view of a 

 horse at his best pace, without watching him through a race-glass 

 at a distance of a quarter of a mile at least, for if the eye is nearer 

 to him than this the passage of the body by it is so quick that no 

 analysis can be made of the position of the several parts. But at 

 the above distance it may be readily seen that the horse never as- 

 sumes the attitude in which he is generally represented, of which 

 an example is given at the beginning of this article. When the 

 hind legs are thrust backwards, the fore feet are raised and more or 

 less curled up under the knees, as it is manifest must be the case 

 to enable them to be brought forward without raising the body 

 from the ground. In the next act, as the hind feet are brought 

 under the body the fore legs are thrust straight before it; and so 

 whichever period is chosen for the representation, the complete 



