ANALYSIS OF GALLOPING STYLE
In an ordinary transverse gallop (sequence A), there is only one period of suspension—during which the horse gains ground efficiently because he flies frictionlessly through the air. Suspension follows forelimb push; hind limb push merely serves to roll the horse forward onto his forelimbs. Sequence B shows a transverse gallop with two periods of suspension. The first is created by very powerful push of the hind limbs which thrusts the horse through the air in a low arc, as if over a low jump. To produce this extra period of suspension, the horse’s back must be exceptionally elastic and he must have the ability to stretch his forelimbs far forward. The horse then lands upon one forelimb, then the other, from which he pushes off for the second period of suspension, which is like that for an ordinary gallop. Only better conformed, better coordinated and more powerful horses use this running style, and they are inevitably faster than their competition.