the return of the feet is quicker than at the walk, and their beat is about equally spaced. In other words, at the regular walk there are heard two beats in diagonal; at the amble, three beats in lateral; at the rack, four beats in lateral.
The rack was much favored in ancient times, when there were no roads, when horses were ridden without saddle or bridle, and the best gait was the one which needed least skill and balance on the rider's part. It is now obsolete.
Single-foot is almost never taken by instinct, unless the animal suffers from atrophy, weakness, or fatigue. Occasionally, however, it is hereditary. In the latter case, the correction of the fault is nearly impossible and never permanent. If the gait is the result of training, as it is sometimes in Brittany, Mexico, and the western parts of the United States, it is best cured by cavesson and longe.
The action in single-foot is a slow trot in front, and a fast walk behind. It is exactly the movement of a horse thoroughly tired out by a long journey, which is nevertheless being urged forward by its rider. Such an animal, again rested, will return to his normal walk and trot.
The irregular or artificial gaits may be the result of training or of heredity.
The amble is the same the world over, though called amble in England, but rack, pace, or fox-trot in the United States. The word does not matter,
