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 #272027

Every owner and every trainer of a trotter or pacer, in fact, every one to whom the horse in general is a source of revenue or of pleasure, should make himself familiar with the simple principles of the animal's locomotion, and with the rational system of shoeing, as presented and advocated by the late David Roberge, in his book "The Foot of the Horse." Though given to the public over ten years ago, it is doubtful whether its real worth has been generally appreciated and estimated.<br><br>The late David Roberge of New York seems to have been one of the few intelligent horseshoers who combine the science with the art of their trade. He came to the rescue of the suffering equine world with a logical and simple method. His connections with Robert Bonner gave him the advantage of the views of that great student of the horse's locomotion, to whose persuasion is due the publication of that book. Their experiences and deductions were identical and constitute the most rational views and data on this subject.<br><br>In a personal correspondence with the writer he regretted that ill health had prevented him from supplementing his work with another on the special subject of balancing the gait of the fast trotter and pacer, because he felt the need of just such a treatise. As it is he took up the cause of the horse in general, thereby appealing to every owner who wishes to use the horse to the best possible advantage. All the greater in consequence becomes the merit of his work.<br><br>The writer is grateful to him for valuable suggestions, and has for many years put into practice his system of shoeing. This effort to prove and to apply his teachings have led to a systematic analysis of gait by means of measurements and by averages and variations, so as to plot the peculiarities of each horse's mode of locomotion. The outcome is a sytsem which, though based on Roberge's<br>investigations, is itself original in conception.