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