| A collaboration between an English-born | | | | whether or not a horse ever was |
| eccentric Eadweard Muybridge and the | | | | completely airborne during the canter. |
| founder of one of our great universities | | | | The unaided human eye could not resolve |
| resulted in a series of events which | | | | that question.Eadweard MuybridgeEnter |
| spelled the end of the "hobby-horse" | | | | Muybridge. With a tempestuous |
| posture in horse art and | | | | personality, sporting a Walt Whitman |
| paintings.Towards the end of the 19th | | | | beard, and carrying on in the grand |
| century, an event occurred which | | | | tradition of the English eccentric, it |
| significantly changed the world of horse | | | | was said of Eadweard Muybridge that had |
| art, in particular paintings but for | | | | he never been born a novelist would have |
| sculpture as well. Until that time | | | | created him. Coming to America from |
| period, most paintings of horses at full | | | | England at an early age, Muybridge |
| gallop showed the front legs extended | | | | established a reputation as one of San |
| forward and the hind legs extended to | | | | Francisco's great 19th century landscape |
| the rear. Unless a horse's motion was to | | | | photographers. Over time, his interests |
| be similar to that of a rabbits's, this | | | | narrowed and became focused upon |
| position would be anatomically | | | | photographing and studying the motion |
| impossible. This posture by the way, is | | | | of animals and people.Muybridge and |
| often referred to as the rocking horse | | | | Stanford met in 1873 at which time |
| or hobby-horse posture. Can you image | | | | Muybridge began to photograph Stanford's |
| trying to stay in the saddle if a | | | | horses in motion. It should be noted |
| horse's motion was the same as a | | | | that at that time photographers often |
| rabbit's? It would be an adventure to | | | | built their own equipment and mixed |
| say the least.Pleasure riding would be | | | | their own chemicals. Exposure time was |
| restricted to the walk, perhaps the slow | | | | usually measured in seconds rather than |
| trot. Canter? Forget it! Driving? One | | | | in tenths, much less one-hundredths of |
| horse or a team. Picture the effect if | | | | a second. Up to that time no |
| horses ran like rabbits. It would likely | | | | photographer had been able to capture |
| shake the buggy apart in a short | | | | events too rapid to be seen by the |
| distance. Yet this was how horses at | | | | naked eye.The two worked together for |
| full gallop were generally portrayed.If | | | | nearly ten years. During that time |
| you've ever tried to figure out the | | | | Muybridge continually improved and |
| motion (or gait) of a horse, or a dog or | | | | refined his photographic processes. By |
| cat for that matter at a walk, with a | | | | 1877, Muybridge, in collaboration with |
| little concentration you'll soon figure | | | | Leland Stanford's engineering staff was |
| out the order in which the legs moved | | | | able to photograph movement with a |
| and when a hoof (or paw) leaves or | | | | shutter speed of 1/2000th of a second. |
| touches the ground with respect to the | | | | It was here that he provided conclusive |
| position of the other legs. At a trot - | | | | proof that the horse did have all four |
| more difficult but possible. But at a | | | | hooves off the ground during the |
| gallop or run - forget it (I've tried | | | | gallop.What was key to the world of |
| this walking behind our beagle) - the | | | | horse art was found in the photographs |
| legs move faster than our eyes are | | | | which showed every aspect of the horses' |
| capable of tracking. It's little wonder | | | | gait. The photos showed that, at full |
| that until the advent of photography | | | | gallop, all four hooves were for an |
| there was a great deal of guesswork as | | | | instant under the horse and off the |
| to how a horse actually moved at a | | | | ground.In The Art of the Horse by John |
| canter or gallop.One artist who had a | | | | Fairley there is a reproduction of a |
| clue was the Englishman whose | | | | wonderful painting depicting the chariot |
| meticulous studies of the horse's | | | | races at the Circus Maximus. It is an |
| anatomy gave him an understanding as to | | | | immensely realistic and powerful |
| what motion was possible and what was | | | | painting. However, every horse under |
| not.The "Farm"Leland Stanford | | | | full gallop has both front legs extended |
| (1824-1893) - railroad executive, | | | | forward and both hind legs extended to |
| governer, senator, pioneer in | | | | the rear. If that were the case it |
| California's wine industry and founder | | | | would be amazing if the charioteer could |
| of Stanford University, was also a | | | | stay aboard for even one lap!When |
| breeder and trainer of horses. His farm | | | | Muybridge's results became generally |
| (the Palo Alto Stock Farm) was one of | | | | known (largely through publication in |
| the finest for trotting horses in the | | | | Scientific American in 1878) they were |
| United States and in the 1880's and | | | | readily accepted by artists such as |
| 1890's home to 600 horses and 150 | | | | Degas, Eakins, George Stubbs and |
| trainers and staff. The "Farm" | | | | Remington. Others, like Rodin had to go |
| eventually became the site of Stanford | | | | through a period of "furious denial" |
| University.The farm ( and later the | | | | before finally abandoning the "rocking |
| city) was named after one of Stanford's | | | | horse" style. Muybridge continued his |
| great trotting horses, Palo Alto. The | | | | work up until his death in 1904. Like |
| horse was in turn named after the first | | | | English painter John Stubbs' studies of |
| major battlefield victory of the Mexican | | | | the anatomy of the horse, Muybridge's |
| War. Stanford's trotters won numerous | | | | work had a profound influence on equine |
| trophies and ribbons and several were | | | | art. The artist could now study detail |
| credited with world record times. In | | | | that the human eye could not see.His |
| his quest to breed the fastest possible | | | | work with Stanford attracted the |
| trotters Stanford had a great interest | | | | attention of Thomas Edison and, together |
| in learning more and more about them, | | | | with George Eastmans ongoing work in the |
| including details of the gait. One of | | | | development of film, set the stage for |
| the controversies at the time was | | | | motion pictures. |