Re: Lummox's feet

In article <JEy66s.7J6@xxxxxxxxxxx>,
djheydt@xxxxxxxxxxx (Dorothy J Heydt) wrote:

In article <200703151250.l2FCo9dj104436@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Michael Stemper <mstemper@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Lummox is, of course, the beast that is the star of _Star Beast_.

In the first chapter, RAH describes two different gaits, with the
description being the "firing order" of Lummox's feet, numbered
[1..8]. Has anybody ever worked out what the numbering must be,
based upon the gaits described?

I'd assume that foot 1 is in front, and foot 8 is in back. But, I
can still see two likely orderings:
- Even on one side, odd on the other, increasing front to back
- [1..4] on one side, [5..8] on the other, again increasing front to back

(A third possibility, which I find unlikely, would be similar to the
way that dentists number teeth.)

This is a geeky enough question that it seems likely that the RAH of
the 1950s would have not thrown down numbers arbitrarily, but worked
out all of the mechanics completely and consistently. Probably on
butcher paper.

I think it's fairly clear that the numbering is

head
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
* *tail, if any

Consider the description of the high-speed gait as the
"double-ended gallop, moving legs 1 & 2 & 5 & 6 together,
alternating with 3 & 4 & 7 & 8." An ordinary quadrupedal horse,
galloping, hits the ground with both forefeet at once, then both
hindfeet at once.

Incorrect - See below.

pair, then with the second and fourth pair, and repeat.

First off, let me tell you that I'm a lifelong horseman. Second, let me
tell you that there is no such gait as "gallop" - What "Joe
who-knows-litttle-about-horses" calls "gallop" is nothing more than a
high-speed version of canter.

Horses have three "natural" gaits - walk, trot, and canter. (sometimes
called "lope", depending on the particular discipline - to an english
rider, it's always canter. To a western rider, it might be either canter
or lope. To a "cowboy", it's a lope.)

Assume feet numbered 1 = left front, 2 = right front, 3 = left rear, 4 =
right rear.

Canter is one of two possibilities, depending on the "lead" the horse is
on:

1-4/3-2 is a "left lead" canter
2-3/4-1 is a "right lead" canter
In both cases, 3-4/4-3 hit very nearly, but not quite, simultaneously,
and there's a moment of suspension as 1/2 come off the ground together,
followed almost immediately by 3/4, before 1 (or 2, depending on the
lead) touching down to "officially start" the next stride. Because of
the suspension, and (for practical purposes) simultaneous touchdown of
3-4/4-3 it's considered to be a 3-beat gait.

Some horses are trained (usually through poor teaching - it's a flaw,
not a virtue) so that they "cross-canter" - Their leads are mixed up -
They're cantering on a right lead in front, but a left lead in back, or
vice-versa. A real good method of ripping front shoes off, since the
hinds tend to come down on the rear edges of the front shoes due to the
timing.

Trot = 1/4-2/3 - a two-beat gait - Opposite "corners" move in pairs.

Walk is 1-4-3-2 - a four-beat gait - Regardless of speed, each foot
leaves and strikes the ground alone.

Now, I wonder if Lummox is capable of a rack.

The rack is the fifth gait sometimes used by Icelanding ponies.
Both left feet, then both right feet. Imagine a double-ended
rack: 1-3-5-7 alternating with 2-4-6-8. I imagine her rider
would get seasick fairly quickly.

Incorrect. You're describing a "pace", and most icelandics (or for that
matter, most horses period) don't pace.

The pace is an "artificial" two-beat gait for horses - 1/3-2/4 - Similar
to the trot, but instead of the diagonal legs moving together, the legs
on each side move together. Camels, llamas, and their kin, vicunas and
alpacas, all pace naturally. Horses have to be taught to do so, though
there is some evidence of the ability being breeding related. Some
horses simply cannot pace, period. Some do so as if that's all they've
ever known. Horses that pace almost never trot, and vice-versa - In
effect, there are two sets of gaits - walk/trot/canter, and
walk/pace/canter.

Icelandics don't pace - they "tolt", which is, when you get down to
where the hoof hits the ground, nothing more than a walk done at a
ridiculously fast rate. It eats miles at an almost scary rate, and they
can do it all day long. It's also incredibly smooth. If any horse other
than icelandics can do it, I haven't heard of them. Closest I know of is
the Saddlebred and/or Tennesee Walker's "running walk", but that's
supposedly not *QUITE* the same gait (though I'm damned if I can see the
difference between them)

--
Don Bruder - dakidd@xxxxxxxxx - If your "From:" address isn't on my whitelist,
or the subject of the message doesn't contain the exact text "PopperAndShadow"
somewhere, any message sent to this address will go in the garbage without my
ever knowing it arrived. Sorry... <http://www.sonic.net/~dakidd> for more info
.

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