ACTION AT THE GALLOP 225 



well forward, and should work in perfect unison with the 

 fore limbs (Fig. 405). Nothing looks worse than to see a 

 horse trotting high in front, and dragging his hind legs 

 along the ground. As I have already remarked, with 

 reference to the walk, there should be no ''dishing'* or 

 crossing of the legs, so that, when viewed from behind, a 

 clear space will be preserved between the near pair and 

 the off pair of legs. I may explain that a horse '' dishes " 

 with a fore leg when he throws the foot outwards as he raises 

 it off the ground. In the trot, the head should be carried 

 much higher than in the walk ; as the limb has to be raised 

 to a greater extent, Fig. 207 shows the ''extravagant" 

 action which is greatly prized among fashionable harness 

 horses. 



The Gallop. — In order that the animal may utilise to the 

 utmost his forward reach in the gallop, the knee of the leading 

 fore leg should be kept as straight as possible ^hile that \tg is 

 being extended to the front. In fact, the straighter it is at that 

 moment, the more perfect will be the front action on level 

 ground. A race-horse should, like a ballet dancer, move as 

 if he had no knees. I may, however, qualify my praise of 

 low action by remarking that a horse who bends his knees a 

 little, is better suited for going up a hill, than a "daisy 

 cutter " ; as his " round " style of going will aid him in climb- 

 ing the ascent. Heavy shoes on the feet have a marked 

 influence in making horses go "high" in all their paces, a 

 fact which has been largely utilised by American trainers in 

 regulating the action of their trotters. As this tendency is 

 detrimental to the speed of race-horses, their shoes should 

 be as light as practicable. In India, where but very little 

 rain falls during the racing season, I have trained and run 

 many of the horses I have had in vsiy stable, without 

 shoes of any kind. I have mentioned, on p. 69, that curb 

 bits are objectionable for use with race-horses, on account 

 of their tendency to make horses gallop " round,'' or 

 to " fight '' in their action. In the former case, the animal 

 will carry his head low and bring his chin into his chest, with 



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