246 Gait of the American Trotter and Pacer 



notice and there was an immediate improvement in gait once the cause 

 of the previous uneven motion had been removed. 



As to the relative merits of long toes or of high heels, it is a 

 matter often of choice rather than of judgment. This was discussed 

 elsewhere but will bear repetition. I prefer at all times a reasonably 

 short foot and like to have the horse, as it were, close to the ground. 

 Besides defending the merits of such a condition I feel about it as I 

 do about long fingernails on human beings, for one with long nails is 

 not apt to be a person able or willing to take hold of things. Such a 

 person may be good to look at and even intellectual and perhaps also 

 "speedy," but will hardly be able to stand the strain of a hard contest 

 in the race of life. 



The toe of the horse, no doubt, has its important function in pro- 

 pulsion, as can be witnessed on the ground, but as for its adding dis- 

 tance to the stride or taking off seconds from the mile, there seems to 

 be an opportunity for the traditional Doubting Thomas to assert him- 

 self by a shake of his head. The added strain to the leverage from 

 heel to toe, due to an unusually long toe, will undo the advantage gained 

 as claimed. Of course, we might argue that a long toe with a higher 

 heel lessens the leverage and moreover lengthens the whole leg, and 

 by that means the distance covered in a certain unit of time will be 

 greater and the speed therefore increased ; but, again, I doubt if a man 

 on stilts could beat a man running on foot at any fair distance. Be- 

 sides, the very fact that Nature sheds all superfluous horn of the hoof 

 and danger of disease lurks in long hoofs should be a caution to the 

 adherent of long feet. 



The heels have at times a better reason to be high to counteract a 

 strain, for instance, on the fore legs, such as swelled ligaments, or 

 tendons ; and it must be left to the trainer to take such temporary or 

 permanent measures to alleviate such conditions. 



As is well known, the toes of the fore feet may be a trifle longer 

 than those of the hind, and again, the angle of the fore feet is naturally 

 lower than that of the hind. This is based on the proper separation of 

 the extremities such as is required for a good gait. Very many 

 trotters shove back their fore legs too far and put forward their hind 



