28 Gait of the American Trotter and Pacer 



horses. Such instances often give rise to the assertion that a real 

 trotter will trot at any time under any conditions, no matter how his 

 feet are trimmed or what shoes he wears. It is the call of the gambler 

 who hits upon a lucky combination and mocks all natural laws. Trot- 

 ters are discovered everywhere by their action and their gameness, but 

 they are not brought to perfection under the system of chance. 



In Fig. 22 are given the outlines of Occident in motion with a 

 stride of 17 ft. 9 in. There will also be seen the elevation of fore 

 and hind feet taken at point of toe and the comparative action or eleva- 

 tion of knee and hock taken at the point of these joints. These curves 

 or trajectories are taken from the pictures directly, the various points in 

 the positions being connected by a continuous curve. In the case 

 of fore and hind feet these curves have been enlarged to bring out 

 the outlines better; but in knee and hock action the lines of motion 

 follow the pictures exactly and are applicable to them. 



Occident stands apparently as a type of the resolute trotter, with 

 much display of action, especially in front, his hind action being a 

 little out of proportion with front action. The forward reach of fore 

 legs is of the impressive kind which tends to greater extension. When 

 folding the knee there is no sudden drop of foot but a bold unfolding 

 of that joint and a straight reach forward with foot. The path of feet 

 in the illustration will prove this ; and yet he lacks the goose paddle 

 out behind which gives the trotter his ability to hurl himself forward. 

 There is a good upward and forward action of hind legs but also a 

 little "pointing" forward or trotting under behind. All in all, Occident 

 would stand for the ordinary resolute trotter of to-day with the usual 

 fault of inequality of fore and hind action. 



Occident was by Doc 449 and was a star at the time when in 1873 

 he took his record. The yearly Occident stake for three year olds is 

 aptly named after him for his gameness and courage. 



We now come to the so called Electioneer trotter in Elaine 2 120, 

 by Messenger Duroc out of Green Mountain Maid, the dam of old Elec- 

 tioneer. Here we have that peculiar and nearly equal extension for- 

 ward and backward of the fore and hind legs. There is a nearer 

 approach of elevation between the two extremities. The display of 



