XVI. HITCHING, HOPPING OR RUNNING BEHIND.
This way of going comes from different causes. An unbalanced foot from being improperly fixed, will cause it. The improper weight of shoes at one end or the other, or all around, will cause it; speeding a colt or horse that is pulling too much weight, especially up a grade, will cause it; forging, scalping, speedy cutting, shin and hock hitting will cause it; carrying the head to one side at times will cause it; soreness of the back, rump or muscles of whirlbone, stifle or thigh will cause it.
Examine the faulty leg for soreness, for if the horse is not lame from soreness somewhere, he can be balanced to go true. If a horse begins hitching, his fast work should be stopped until he is properly balanced, for no horse can improve his speed after he becomes rough gaited without danger to himself. The first thing to do is to get him balanced. First, see that his feet are level. Nine times out of ten you will find his feet are not mates or do not hang level, you will find the foot on the offending leg that is doing the damage different from its mate. In all my experience I have found the foot on the faulty gaited leg to be very high on the inside, if not at the toe, it would be at the heel, but the majority of times it would be high from toe to heel, which would be the main cause of the hitching. Fix the front feet to hang level, the angle and length of toes the same. The two hind feet should be at the same angle and have the same length of toe. The foot of the faulty going leg should be made the lowest on the inside and the shoe to be used on this foot must weigh double the weight or from one to three ounces more than double the weight of the one on the opposite hind foot. This shoe can be made with the weight in the outside, with the inside edge from the centre of toe back to the inside quarter rounded or beveled off considerably, fit the shoe full to the outside toe. If the hitching horse is shod according to these directions and does not begin to go better gaited, it is because he is lame. If he carries five-ounce shoes behind put twelve or thirteen ounce on the faulty gaited leg and the light shoe on perfect gaited leg.