The gait of the American trotter and pacer : an analysis of their gait by a new method and an investigation of the general principles concerning the proper balancing of motion action and extension by Jordan Rudolf

Author:Jordan, Rudolf
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Harness racehorses -- Training, Race horses -- Training
Publisher: New York : W. R. Jenkins Co.

action, constitute an excellent variety of equine locomotion, and the average from them should stand for a reliable standard to judge others by. The conviction that Muybridge gave us more than mere pictures has, I think, been sufficiently confirmed by the deductions made here. He gave us, in fact, something of inestimable value to the student of the horse, and the more we study these reproductions—very well done considering the times and the appliances—the more must we feel their importance and great worth.

The excessive knee action of Occident and the defective knee action of Clay, with the latter's probable interference as seen in Fig. 25, has ever given rise to the idea that the main purpose in curing hind interference is to get the fore feet out of the way of the hind. Somehow, it is thought that the hind must have the privilege of reaching forward to get a hold of the ground which is to be shoved back quickly, so to speak, to attain speed. Of backward hind extension as a cure for interference, little is said; but on this very question of proper adjustment of hind action depends the balancing of most trotters. A trotter must have good knee action to be speedy, but he should have good hock action to balance himself well and in a more natural way than is customary. Where heavy front shoes are used to develop action, very light shoes are generally applied to hind feet, the heel calk being the only design to check consequent forward extension of hind. The weight of the shoe is so intimately connected with its shape that the effect ought to be considered as a whole, though the effect of any difference in weight will appear in any case submitted. Too much stress is laid on weight anyway, whereas the shape of the shoe, and of the fo®t, is of far greater importance. That is why the great skill of our American shoers has accomplished such wonders. No more ponderous shoes of freakish shapes, but plain shoes with nice devices on them to direct action and motion, and shoes well and intelligently put on a well pared foot—these constitute the great achievements, simple in result, but difficult of attainment, which are the causes of the present improvement of both gait and speed of our trotter and pacer.

Let us now take the cases for illustration that have been shown to

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