Descriptive Zoopraxography Part 3

The movements. .h.i.therto described are regular in their action, and a stride may be divided into two parts, each of which--with a change of limbs--is practically similar to the other; we now come to methods of progression which cannot be so divided, and each stride must be considered as a unit of motion.

THE CANTER.

In the canter we discover the same sequence of foot fallings as in the walk, but not with the same harmonious intervals of time. The gait resembles the gallop in respect to its leaving the horse entirely unsupported for a varying period of time, and in the fact that the spring into the air is always effected from a fore foot, and the landing upon the diagonal hind foot; in other respects it materially differs from that method of progression.

a.s.suming that during a stride of the canter a horse springs into the air from a left fore foot, the right hind foot will first reach the ground; the two fore legs will at this time be flexed under the body, the right being the first landed, and for a brief period of time the support will devolve upon the laterals. The right fore foot is rapidly followed by the left hind. During a very slow canter the other fore foot will sometimes be landed in advance of the lifting of its diagonal, and the curious phase presented of all of the feet being in contact with the ground at the same instant. Usually, however, the first hind foot to touch the ground will be lifted, and the support thrown upon the diagonals.

The left fore is now brought down, and is followed by the lifting of the right fore; when the left laterals a.s.sume the duty of support. The left hind is now raised, and with a final thrust of the left fore foot the animal is projected into the air, to land again upon its diagonal, and repeat the same sequence of movements.

The above phases are selected from a single complete stride, in which the landing occurs on the _right_ hind foot. Had the horse sprung from a _right_ fore foot, the right and left feet would have been reversed through the entire series.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SOME CONSECUTIVE PHASES OF THE CANTER.]

THE GALLOP.

The gallop is the most rapid method of quadrupedal motion; in its action the feet are independently brought to the ground; the spring into the air as in the canter is effected from a fore foot, and the landing upon the diagonal hind foot.

The phases ill.u.s.trated are selected from the stride of a thorough-bred Kentucky horse, galloping at the rate of a mile in a hundred seconds, with a stride of about twenty-one lineal feet.

The length of stride and the distance which the body is carried forward without support depend upon many circ.u.mstances, such as the breed, build and condition of the horse, speed, track, etc.

The phases ill.u.s.trated and the measurement given apply to one stride of one horse, but may be considered as fairly representing the stride of a first-cla.s.s horse in prime racing condition at the height of his speed, upon a good track.

a.s.suming--as in this instance--the springing into the air to have been effected from the right fore foot, the landing will take place in advance of the centre of gravity, upon the diagonal, or left hind foot; above, will be suspended the right hind foot, and at a higher elevation, several inches to the rear, will be the right fore foot, with the sole turned upward. The left fore leg will be in advance of the right, and also flexed. The force of the impact and the weight of the horse causes the pastern to form a right angle with the leg, and the heel is impressed into the ground.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SOME CONSECUTIVE PHASES OF THE GALLOP.]

The right hind foot strikes the ground and shares the weight of the body.

The left hind foot leaves the ground while the right hind pastern is in its horizontal phase, supporting all the weight. At this period the left fore leg is perfectly straight, with the toe much higher than the heel, and is thrust forward until the pastern joint is vertical with the nose, the right fore knee is bent at a right angle. The left fore foot now strikes and these diagonals are for a brief period upon the ground together. The left fore leg, however, immediately a.s.sumes the entire responsibility of support and attains a vertical position, with the pastern at a right angle. The right fore leg becomes perfectly rigid, and is thrust forward to its fullest extent. The right fore foot now strikes the ground, the two fore legs form a right angle, and the hind feet are found thrust backward, the right to its fullest extent. The left fore leg having completed its functions of support, is now lifted, and the weight transferred to the right fore foot alone, which is soon found behind the centre of gravity; the left hind foot pa.s.ses to the front of the right fore leg, which, exercising its final act of propulsion, thrusts the horse through the air; the left hind foot descends; the stride is completed, and the consecutive phases are renewed. From this a.n.a.lysis we learn that if the spring is made from the right fore foot during the rapid gallop of a thoroughbred horse, it is supported consecutively by

The left hind foot.

Both hind feet.

The right hind foot.

The right hind and the left fore feet.

The left fore foot.

Both fore feet.

The right fore foot.

From which he springs into the air to re-commence the phases with the left hind foot, while the only phase in which he has been discovered without support is one when the legs are flexed under the body. All of the feet at this time are nearly close together and have comparatively little independent motion; this phase, therefore, more persistently than any other, forces itself upon the attention of the careful observer, and conveys to him the impression of a horse's rapid motion in singular contradiction to the conventional interpretation, until quite recently, usually adopted by the Artist.

It should not be understood that the term "spring" implies that the body of the horse is greatly elevated by that action; were it so, much force would be unnecessarily expended with the result of loss of speed. The center of gravity of a horse trotting or galloping at a high rate of speed will preserve an almost strictly horizontal line, the undulations being very slight.

In the gallop of the horse it is probable there may be sometimes a period of suspension between the lifting of one fore foot and the descent of the other, but it has not yet been demonstrated.

The method of galloping described applies to the horse and its allies, and to most of the cloven and soft-footed animals.

In the gallop of the dog the sequence of foot falling and the action of the body is materially different, and the animal is free from support twice in each stride.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE GALLOP OF THE DOG.]

a.s.suming that a racing hound after a flight through the air with elongated body and extended legs (like the conventional galloping horse), lands upon the left fore foot, the right fore will next touch the ground; from this he will again spring into the air, and with curved body and flexed legs land upon the right hind foot, while the right fore feet will be half the length of the body to the rear. The left hind now descends, another flight is effected, and again the left fore repeats its functions of support and propulsion.

These successive foot fallings are common to all dogs when galloping, and it is worthy of note that the same rotary action in the use of the limbs is adopted in the gallop of the elk, the deer and the antelope, all of which animals, like the dog, can for a time excel the horse in speed.

A search through all the dictionaries published at the time of writing, and accessible to the Author, fails to discover a correct definition of "the gallop." This motion is in America frequently miscalled the "run," and its execution "running," but no corresponding explanation of the word is given by any lexicographer.

In Scott's "Lady of the Lake" occurs "Then faint afar are heard the feet of rushing steeds in _gallop_ fleet," many other distinguished Authors refer to the same action by the same name, by which, or its equivalents, it is universally known in Europe.

THE LEAP.

There is little essential difference in general characteristics of either of the several movements that have been described, but with a number of experiments made with horses while leaping, no two were found to agree in the manner of execution. The leap of the same horse at the same rate of speed, with the same rider, over the same hurdle, disclosed much variation in the rise, clearance, and descent of the animal. A few phases were, however, invariable. While the horse was raising his body to clear the hurdle, one hind foot was always in advance of the other, which exercised its last energy alone.

On the descent, the concussion was always first received by one fore foot, followed more or less rapidly by the other, sometimes as much as 30 inches in advance of where the first one struck; the hind feet were also landed with intervals of time and distance.

No attempt will be made to a.n.a.lyze the consecutive phases of various other acts of Animal Locomotion, such as rearing, bucking, kicking, tossing, etc., on account of the irregularity which characterizes their execution, and the difficulty of obtaining reliable data.

The Author has vainly sought for the rules which govern the hind feet of a playfully disposed mule; but the inquiry has usually been unsatisfactory, and upon some occasions disastrous. Should these movements be controlled by any general law, it is of such a complex nature that all attempts to expound it have hitherto been fruitless.

The figures in the series of circles (see appendix A) were selected from

"ANIMAL LOCOMOTION"

and arranged by the Author for his less ambitious work,

"POPULAR ZOOPRAXOGRAPHY."

(See Appendix C).

They were traced by the well known artist, Erwin Faber, and are reproduced one-third the diameter of the circles arranged for the zoopraxiscope. Many of the original phases of movement are omitted on account of the optical law which in the construction of a zoopraxiscope requires that the number of ill.u.s.trations must bear a certain relationship to the number of perforations through which they are viewed.

The popular number of thirteen having been selected for the latter, the same number of figures ill.u.s.trate actions without lateral progressive motion.

When the number of ill.u.s.trated phases is less than the number of perforations, the succession of phases is in the direction of the motion, and the disc is necessarily revolved in a reverse direction.

When the number of phases is greater than the number of perforations, the phases succeed each other in a direction contrary to that of the motion, and the disc is revolved in the direction of the motion.

An increased or diminished number of figures will respectively result in an increased or diminished apparent speed of the object.

For further information on the subject, the reader is referred to the

ZOOPRAXISCOPE.