THE TROT... WEARING ROSE-COLOURED GLASSES, AND OTHER MUSINGS Michelle Scott
For far too many years I've been accused of seeing the world through rose coloured glasses. At first I was hurt and saddened that others, often much younger than me, seemed so jaded and felt the world was so cruel and harsh. When I actually sat down, thought about it and tried to see where or how they came to their conclusions I realized they were of the mindset that you had to fight and claw your way to the top, so everything was a battle for them. I get it - we're in a competitive sport - but I still don't buy into the eat or be eaten attitude. I'm an artist. I love to create beautiful things which helped when I was handling and also helped in my breeding program. As a judge I love to find beautiful dogs but it's not just superficial beauty or grooming, I get excited finding a dog that owns the ground it's standing on, exudes breed type and is balanced and proportioned for the breed. I still get goosebumps.
Let’s talk about THE TROT . What we know today: "When trot- ting, a dog moves diagonal front and rear feet forward. First, two di- agonal front and rear feet move forward (for example, right front- left rear). Then, the dog’s entire body is suspended in the air for a moment. Then, the other diagonal front and rear feet move forward (for example, left front-right rear)." By M. Christine Zink, DVM, Ph.D., presents Coaching the Canine Ath- lete seminars worldwide, and is a consultant on canine sports medi- cine, evaluating canine structure and locomotion. So, why have the CKC and AKC not caught up with the times? Their Glossary says "Trot: A rhyth- mic two-beat diagonal gait in which the feet at diagonally oppo- site ends of the body strike the ground together, i.e., right hind with left front and left hind with right front." and "Flying Trot: A fast gait in which all four feet are off the ground for a brief second dur- ing each half stride. Because of the long reach, the oncoming hind >
48 • S how S ight M agazine , D ecember 2018
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