The rack, at one time so much liked, has become almost obsolete. This is a peculiar gait, not easily described, in which the horse appears to trot with one pair of legs and amble with the other, the gait being so mixed up between an amble and a defective trot as to render it almost a nondescript. When racking, the horse will appear constrained and uncomfortable, and will strongly bear upon the rider's hand; some animals so much so, as completely to weary the bridle-hand and arm in a ride of only an hour or two. This constant bearing of the horse's head upon the reins soon renders him hard mouthed, and, consequently, not easily and promptly managed. The rack soon wears out a horse, besides spoiling him for other gaits, and so injures his feet and legs that a racker will rarely be suitable for the saddle after his eighth year. It is an acquired step, much disliked by the horse, which has always to be forced into it by being urged forward against the restraint of a curb-bit; and he will, whenever an opportunity presents, break into a rough trot or canter, so that the rider has to be constantly on the watch, and compel him to keep in the rack against his will. And although the motion does not jolt much, the aspect of the horse and rider is not as easy and graceful as in the canter and hand gallop, there being an appearance of unwillingness and restraint that is by no means pleasing. The directions for the French trot will answer for both the pace and the rack, except that in the latter the traction upon the reins must be greater.
CHAPTER IX.
THE CANTER.
"When troubled in spirit, when weary of life,
When I faint 'neath its burdens, and shrink from its strife,
When its fruits, turned to ashes, are mocking my taste,
And its fairest scene seems but a desolate waste,
Then come ye not near me, my sad heart to cheer
With friendship's soft accents or sympathy's tear.
No pity I ask, and no counsel I need,
But bring me, oh, bring me my gallant young steed,
With his high arched neck, and his nostril spread wide,
His eye full of fire, and his step full of pride!
As I spring to his back, as I seize the strong rein,
The strength to my spirit returneth again!
The bonds are all broken that fettered my mind,
And my cares borne away on the wings of the wind;
My pride lifts its head, for a season bowed down,
And the queen in my nature now puts on her crown!"
Grace Greenwood.
In the gallop, the horse always has a leading foot or leg. In leading with the right fore-foot, he will raise the left one from the ground, and then the right will immediately follow, but will be advanced somewhat beyond the left one; and this is the reason why, in this case, the right side is called the "leading side." In the descent of the fore-feet, the left one will touch the ground first, making the first beat, and will be immediately followed by the leading or right fore-foot which will make the second beat. The hind-legs are moved in a similar way, the left hind-foot making the third beat, and the right one the fourth. These beats vary in accordance with the adjustment of the horse's weight, but when he gallops true and regular, as in the canter, the hoof-beats distinctly mark one, two, three, four. In the rapid gallop the hoof-beats sound in the time of one-two, or one-two-three.
In leading with the left foot, the left side of the horse will be advanced slightly and the left leg be carried somewhat beyond the right, the action being just the reverse of that above described when leading with the right leg. In this case the left side is termed the "leading side." The hoof-beats of horses in the trot and gallop have been admirably rendered by Bellini, in the opera of "Somnambula," just previous to the entrance of Rudolfo upon the stage. There are three kinds of gallop, namely, the rapid or racing, the hand gallop, and the canter.
The canter is a slow form of galloping, which the horse performs by throwing his weight chiefly upon his hind-legs, the fore ones being used more as supports than as propellers. Horses will be found to vary in their modes of cantering, so much so as to render it almost impossible to describe them accurately. Small horses and ponies have a way of cantering with a loose rein, and without throwing much weight upon their haunches, moving their feet rapidly, and giving pattering hoof-beats. Most ponies on the Western prairies canter in this manner, and it is said to be a very easy gait for a horseman though very unpleasant, from its joltings, for a lady.