The exterior of the horse . 170). First Period.—There is first a very rapid drawing togetherof the bipeds with a view of shortening the base of support when thekick is to be low ; a separation, on the contrary, by drawing theanterior members forward, if the animal intends to kick very high ;without the latter precaution he will be liable to fall upon his knees inthe latter act. At the same time, the head and the neck are suddenly lowered insuch a manner as to project the centre of gravity forward and carry alarge portion of the weight of the trunk upon the anterior bipeds, in 1 Girard, Anatomi
The exterior of the horse . 170). First Period.—There is first a very rapid drawing togetherof the bipeds with a view of shortening the base of support when thekick is to be low ; a separation, on the contrary, by drawing theanterior members forward, if the animal intends to kick very high ;without the latter precaution he will be liable to fall upon his knees inthe latter act. At the same time, the head and the neck are suddenly lowered insuch a manner as to project the centre of gravity forward and carry alarge portion of the weight of the trunk upon the anterior bipeds, in 1 Girard, Anatomic vétérinaire, 4e éd., Paris, 1841, t. i. p. 435.« Vallon, Cours dhippologie, Saumur, 1863, t. i. p. 484. MOVEMENTS UPON PLACE. 471 order to free the hind-quarters and facilitate their movement of rota-tion upon the fore-quarters. Second Period.—By the sudden impulsion from the posteriormembers and the contraction of the dorso-lumbar muscles, the eleva-tion of the croup now takes place, which is a movement in some. Fig. 170.—Kicking. manner complemental to the previous lowering of the head and theneck. The extension of the thigh, of the leg, and of the canon fol-lows almost immediately, and determines a vigorous retropulsion ofthe hind-feet, from the sudden and simultaneous contraction of thegluteal, the anterior femoral, and the gastrocnemius muscles. The details into Avhich we have entered when speaking of the rôleof the cord of the hock (see page 258) sufficiently explain the powerof the hind-limbs, comparable, in this respect, to an elastic springwhich recoils in an almost instantaneous manner, in consequence of thesynergetic and sudden co-operation of the agents charged with the ac-complishment of this action. The kick has only a very short duration ; the posterior membersreturn to the ground almost immediately. Certain horses can repeatit frequently and without great fatigue, like the ass ; they are short,wide, and powerful in the back and the loins, long in th
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjecthorses, bookyear1892
