The rider should not suffer his horse to move till his clothes are
adjusted, and whip shifted, when, collecting his reins, and taking
one in his right hand, he must close his legs, to induce the horse to
move slowly forward in the walk. If he wish to increase the pace, the
pressure of the knees must be increased. When the horse moves, the
legs must resume their former position,--the hands remain perfectly
steady,--and the body yield to the movement.
As to character, the walk is the pace performed with the least
exertion; only one leg at a time being off the ground, and three on. In
this pace, accordingly, four distinct beats are marked, as each foot
comes to the ground in the following order:--first the off fore foot,
next the near hind foot, then the near fore foot, and lastly, the off
hind foot.[67]
[67] The amble may perhaps be considered as a natural pace, as most
foals, following their dams, amble more or less to keep up with them.
The difference between the walk and the amble is, that two legs of a
side are raised in the latter at the same instant.
The perfection of the walk consists in its being an animated quick
step, measuring exact distances, and marking a regular time, by putting
the feet flat to the ground. Its excellence depends on that uniting
of the horse which supports his head and raises his feet, without
shortening or retarding the step; and that animation which quickens the
step and sharpens the beats without altering the time or the action.
In performance, if the rider do not support the horse sufficiently, his
head will be low, and his walk slovenly: if he support him too much, he
will shorten his step so that he cannot walk freely. If the rider do
not animate him, he will not exert himself: if he animate him too much,
he will trot. If the horse trot when the rider designs him to walk, he
will find either his hand or the degree of animation communicated by
the whip, tongue, legs, or bracing of the body, too high, and this he
must instantly modify, as well as check the horse. (Plate XXXVIII. fig
1.)
[Illustration: _PLATE XXXVIII_
_Page 145._
The Walk.