• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 1233 0

Eadweard Muybridge, a pioneer in action photography, to do a series of photographs of a racehorse named Sallie Gardner. The series proved Stanford’s contention. When a horse gallops his fastest pace, he propels off one rear leg into a gait that has four beats. The first three beats occur as his hooves strike the ground: one rear leg first, then the opposite front and rear simultaneously, then the other front leg. The fourth beat is a brief period of suspension when all four legs are off the ground. But when a horse jumps, he springs off his hind legs and lands on his front feet—as if he has split the gallop stride in two. The first half stride precedes the takeoff; the second half is after the landing. To take the next stride, he has to gather his haunches underneath him. Like ice-skaters who attempt tricky leaps and often fall, a horse has to perfect the ability to do something difficult over and over again, with the steady, reliable precision of clockwork. One jump is not much of a feat. A course of twelve or sixteen jumps of varying sizes and shapes is like an ice-skater’s long program; with all of the practice in the world, the horse still may not succeed each and every time.

Harry knew that Snowman had spring; the horse had demonstrated that already by leaping paddock fences with next to no running start. But the qualities of power and steadiness needed to pull a plow were nothing like the supple calisthenics required from a jumping horse.

Harry had a puzzle on his hands—and that is what he liked best. A horse with sufficient spring to jump out of a paddock should be able to carry a rider over a small fence, but Harry had already tried the most rudimentary step for a jumper, and the horse had tripped and stumbled. The gelding was willing, honest, and kind. What he seemed to lack was ability. Still, Harry was convinced that Snowman had some ability. He was determined to find out.

The first step in training a horse to jump is to teach him to negotiate a series of poles laid on the ground, called cavaletti. The poles are spaced six feet apart for a trot or nine feet apart for a canter, teaching the horse to pace himself and pick up his feet. In order to trot through the poles without rapping them, a horse needs to lift his feet higher than usual. This activity requires muscle, balance, and good training—the same way that sports require these abilities of human athletes. At first, an average horse stumbles, unsure about how to time his stride to avoid knocking into the poles.

With patience and repetition, however, most horses will learn how to trot over the series of poles without knocking into them. At this point, the horse understands the principle of regulating his stride to avoid hitting an obstacle. This is the first step.

Harry set up poles, evenly spaced on the ground, and headed Snowman toward them at a brisk trot. Snowman tripped, then stumbled, tripped again, then righted himself. Harry patted the horse, dismounted, reset the poles, and tried again. Not every horse mastered this right away—but Snowman showed no signs of being a natural.

Once a horse can trot through a series of poles on the ground, the next step is to add a raised pole at the end of the line. Most horses will make a small hop over this obstacle. The pole may be only six inches off the ground, but this is a triumph. The horse could just as easily trot over the bar, probably knocking it over, or refuse to jump it, ducking past it to the outside. That small hop signifies big progress. He trusts his rider enough to hurl himself airborne and carry his rider with him.

One of the hardest things for a young horse—or a horse like Snowman, who had never jumped with a rider on his back—is to learn how to balance with a rider aboard. Imagine a hurdler suddenly running a race with a toddler strapped to his back; a rider of over one hundred pounds changes the horse’s natural center of balance. A skilled rider affects it less—but every rider has an effect.

As the horse gains in proficiency, the final pole is raised; then two jumps begin to follow the