66 
LECTURES ON HORSES. 
of the insect tribe*. Horses take leaps with most facility and 
effect when cantered or galloped at them at a moderate rate, be- 
cause in that pace they are already prepared to jump, the leap 
itself being, in fact, but an extraordinary effort of spring and 
stride made after the manner of, or thrown into, the gallop. The 
effort made by the extensor muscles to effect the bound into the 
air is succeeded in the air by a contraction of the flexors : both 
the fore and hind limbs are in the air drawn up towards the belly, 
in order that the leap be effectually cleared. No sooner, however, 
does the descent commence than the fore limbs become spread 
out forwards and the hind ones let down, wide apart, to receive 
the body at the landing, and by their yielding position to ward off 
or mitigate as much as possible the concussion consequent on 
coming to the ground. 
LeCOQ has happily represented the directing power of the head 
and neck in the leap : — “ The elevation of the neck governs the 
direction of the leap. If the animal, in order to clear an obstacle, 
wishes to leap high, he erects his head, and by this simple move- 
ment, the fore quarters pressing back upon the hind, a vertical 
direction is given to the spring. If, on the other hand, he only de- 
sires, as in the gallop, to leap in a direction forward, the neck 
levels itself on a line with the ground, and the head, stretching 
forward to the utmost, carries the centre of gravity along with 
it, and thus aids the projection ; the hind quarters propelling the 
body, raised from the ground to a height only sufficient to enable 
the limbs to clear the leap.” 
It will be seen from what has been said, that a horse will 
take a leap after two different modes : he will, as the phrases go, 
take it either “standing” or “flying.” “A standing leap” is 
taken, without any preparatory run, from the ground the animal is 
actually standing upon. Finding it a difficult matter to spring up 
from the ground with all four feet at once out of a state of rest, 
he first rears to the height required to clear the leap, and then, 
with a sort of kick, flings his hind feet after ; the leap altogether 
being, as I observed before, a compound of a short rear and a 
short imperfect kick. “ The flying leap,” properly so called, is 
that taken at a gallop, nothing further being required to produce 
it than to elevate the head and throw extra spring into the stride, 
the impetus of the pace, which, if but moderate and the horse 
fresh, he much augments as he approaches the leap, being suffi- 
cient to take the animal over : it is the easiest, and commonly the 
safest, leap both for horse and rider. To shew the powers of leap- 
* Hinc est, quod locustae, grilli, ct pulices longos saltus efficiunt, quia 
nempe eoruin pedes posteriores valdc prolixi sunt, ut sequent aut superent 
longitudinem ejusdam animaleuli. Contra in hominibus et quadrupedibus. 
