THE TROTTER. 



429 



occasion, after having, in following the hounds, and traveling to and 

 from cover, gone through at least sixty miles of country, she fairly ran 

 away with her rider over several ploughed fields. She accomplished 

 the match in ten hours and fourteen minutes — or, deducting thirteen 

 minutes for stoppages, in ten hours and a minute's actual work ; and 

 thus gained the victory. She was a little tired, and, being turned into a 

 lo(ise box, lost no time in taking her rest. On the following day she was 

 as full of life and spirit as ever. These are matches which it is pleasant 

 to record, particularly the latter one ; for the owner had given positive 

 orders to the driver to stop at once, on her showing decided symptoms 

 o) distress, as he valued her more than anything he could gain by her 

 enduring actual suffering. These matches, it will be seen, are all for 

 long distances, and are ti"ials of endurance rather than speed : the 

 system of matches against time had not yet been introduced. 



In England, as we have observed, the efforts of breeders and trainers 

 were turned to producing a swift gallop ; the sportsmen of America, 

 especially in the North and West, directed all their energies to develop- 

 ing the trot. Frank Forester writes in explanation of the difference in 

 the sporting tastes of the two countries: " I do not think I ever knew, or 

 heard tell of such a thing, in my life, in England, as of two gentlemen 

 going out to take a drive in a light carriage. In England, every man 

 who can keep a horse for pleasure, keeps it with a view of occasionally 

 taking a run with hounds. In America, every farmer keeps his wagon 

 and driving-horse, and, as it costs no more to keep a good horse than a 

 bad one, he keeps one that enables him to combine business and pleasure. 

 Trotting in America is the popular pastime, and the trotting-course is 

 open to all." 



The trotting-horse is not a distinct bi^eed, and his qualities as a 

 trotter cannot be ascribed to his origin or connection with any one blood. 

 Some trotters of first-rate powers have come from the Canadian or 

 Norman stock, some from the Vermont stock, some from the Indian 

 pony, and some entirely from the thorough-bred. It is, however, be- 

 yond doubt that "the best type of American trotter descends from 

 the English thoi^ough-bred horse Messenger, imported into this country 

 toward the end of the last century. Mr. C. J. Foster writes that 

 " when the old gray. Messenger, came charging down the gang-plank 

 of the ship which brought him over, the value of not less than one 

 hundred million dollars struck our soil." The estimate appears at 



