60 HAY SEED, OR HOW TO 



CHAPTER XVII. 



DEVELOPING A PACEP. 



Many of the trotting-horse trainers and drivers, even 

 of the present day, have had but limited experience in 

 this department, if any. I think that Indiana has at 

 present more talent in the line of developing pacers than 

 any other State, and as it is the home of the pacer it is 

 not to be wondered at. A pacer probably will give evi- 

 dence, if he is going to show any remarkable speed, 

 sooner, and with less trouble, in the hands of a compe- 

 tent man. than a trotter. The lateral movements of a 

 pacer in action at once demonstrates that there should 

 be less trouble, by odds in developing him, than would 

 be ordinarily with a trotter. A pacer moves a side at a 

 time, or the fore and hind legs of each side of the animal 

 move simultaneously; now all that is necessaryis, to have 

 a level head, and a disposition to "go on" (without which 

 no horse is worth a dollar as a race horse)," together with 

 the requisite strength bodily, to carry him along, and the 

 condition to continue those exertions, and you have a 

 pacer. Ifyouhavea pacing bred horse, with hard bot- 

 tomed crosses in his pedigree, and he shows an aptitude 

 for pacing, you would, I assume, be foolish to try and 

 convert him, and make a trotter of him; it can be done as 

 a rule, but the chances are that you would have but an 

 indifferent trotter, where you might have had a *'vvhirl- 

 wind" in the form of a pacer. I will enumerate some of 

 the requisites you will need in developing a pacer. In 

 the first place a pacing horse should be shod as light in 

 front, with steel shoes, as possible, and have a shoe (not 

 a plate) on; and if you have any suspicion he will touch 

 his knees, you want the most approved style of knee boot 



