Fig. 133.—The Gallop: Third Period.
Fig. 134.—The Gallop: Time of Suspension.
The Gallop.—The ordinary gallop is a pace of three phases. The first is characterized by the fact that one hind-limb alone rests on the ground ([Fig. 131]); in the second the animal is on a diagonal support ([Fig. 132]); in the third it comes down on a fore-limb ([Fig. 133]). The body is then raised ([Fig. 134]), and to this period of suspension succeed anew the three modes of pressure indicated above.
The gallop is said to be from either right or left. In the gallop from the right, the right fore-leg is the more frequently in advance of its neighbour; it is the last to be placed on the ground. The left foot of the posterior biped is the one which commences the action.
An entirely opposite arrangement characterizes the gallop from the left.