CLEARING A FENCE, u^ 



will be the angle at which he can, at the speed he is 

 going, project his body upward. Also, the more he 

 raises his head, the more will he, by bringing back the 

 centre of gravity, increase its angle of elevation. Besides, 

 as the forward and upward movements of the fore limbs 

 depend on the action of the muscles of the neck, the 

 direction in which the fore legs will be raised, will naturally 

 depend on that of the neck. A -horse, therefore, when 

 approaching a fence which will tax his powers to clear, 

 should regulate his speed, so that the impetus obtained 

 from it may be in due proportion to the propulsion derived 

 from the limbs , should bring his hind feet well under his 

 body ; and should hold his head high. I am here 

 supposing that the animal takes off at the correct distance 

 from the obstacle. These actions constitute, as regards 

 the horse, what is popularly and somewhat vaguely called 

 ''collecting'' himself 



We may note that although, when preparing to leap, the 

 hind legs are brought down on the ground in a straightened 

 out position {see the off hind in Figs. 179 and 184), and 

 leave it in the same attitude (Fig. 186), they are some- 

 what bent at the hocks and stifles (Fig. 185) at a time 

 intermediate to these two moments. Hence, we see from 

 these drawings that the propulsion from the hind legs in 

 the leap is due to their being suddenly straightened out, 

 in which action, the fetlock joint also plays an important 

 part. 



As the ability to clear height depends greatly on the 

 power of raising the fore hand; the rider should refrain 

 from leaning forward when the horse is rising at an obstacle. 

 He should, on the contrary, if anything, lean back at this 

 moment (Fig. 195), so as not to put any avoidable weight on 

 the fore hand. 



In almost all cases of the well executed high jump, the 

 fore legs are bent up together and the hind ones fully 

 straightened out at the moment of taking off (Fig. 200). 

 The fore legs will be kept more or less in this position till 



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