“In riding the road, should a man on horseback be in your way leading another horse, always dash by the led one; you might otherwise set the man’s horse capering, and perhaps throw him off; and you can get but a kick or two by observing my instructions.—In passing a waggon, or any tremendous equipage, should it run pretty near a bank, and there be but a ditch, and an open country on the other side, if you are on business, and in a hurry, dash up the bank without hesitation; for, should you take the other side, and the horse shy at the carriage, you may be carried many hundred yards out of your road; whereas, by a little effort of courage, you need only graze the wheel, fly up the bank, and by slipping or tumbling down into the road again, go little or nothing out of your way.”
THE GALLOP.
As to the character of the gallop, when we press a horse in the trot beyond his capacity, or animate him with the legs while we raise or retain him with the hand, we compel him to lift his two fore-feet after each other, which commences the gallop. The near fore-foot is first raised from the ground; then the off fore-foot, which, however, passes the other, and they come to the ground in the same order, the near fore-foot making one beat, and the off fore-foot another, that being the most advanced or leading foot. The hind feet follow in the same manner; the near hind-foot marking a third beat, and the off hind-foot passing forward, and marking a fourth beat. Thus, when this pace is united and true, the feet mark a regular, sharp, and quick time of one, two, three, four. The perfection of the gallop consists in the suppleness of the limbs, the union of the horse, the justness of the action, and the regularity of the time.
The gallop is of three kinds—that of the racer, that of the hunter, and that of the pleasure horse, commonly called the canter. The last of these is by far the most difficult, as it requires skill to fore-shorten and throw the horse on his haunches. In the gallop, as in the trot, there is a leading foot. On a straight line, it is immaterial with which fore-leg the horse leads, provided the hind-leg of the same side follows it. But to lead always with the same leg is injurious. In galloping to the right, the horse must lead with the inward or off fore-leg, followed by the off hind-leg. This action is termed true or united.—([Plate XL.] [69] shows this in the canter.) In galloping to the left, he must lead with the inward or near fore-leg, followed by the near hind-leg. This also is termed true or united.[70]
[69] In galloping to the right, if the horse lead with the off fore-leg and near hind-leg, or if he lead with the near fore-leg and off hind-leg, he is said to be disunited. If, in galloping to the right, he lead with both near legs, he is said to be false.
[70] In galloping to the left, if the horse lead with the near fore-leg and off hind-leg, or if he lead with the off fore-leg and near hind-leg, he is said to be disunited. If, in galloping to the left, he lead with both off legs, he is said to be false.
Plate XL
