PACING — PACK HORSE 



rule and emergencies excepted, be worked at his own pace, 

 for not only do different breeds, but different members of 

 them, possess their own limits of speed. This undoubted 

 fact is, however, far too often lost sight of by owners of so- 

 called match pairs, who appear to be quite content if their 

 horses are similar in make and colour, though they ignore 

 the question of their relative speed altogether. The result, 

 of course, is disastrous so far as appearances are concerned ; 

 in addition to which, the faster horse not only gets more 

 than his fair share of work, but is perpetually being worried 

 by having his mouth pulled at, whilst his slower companion, 

 though he may be doing his honest best, is constantly feeling 

 the effects of the whip, as he is regarded as lazy by a driver 

 who has not recognised that the pair do not match in speed. 

 Again, in the case of single horses, assuming that two animals 

 are given the same weight to draw, the one that is hurried 

 over it to such an extent that he is systematically driven 

 beyond his natural rate of speed will knock up far sooner, 

 in spite of the fact that, owing to his having got his work 

 done sooner, he has had more time in the stable every day. 

 (See Overloading^ 



Pacing. — A horse is said to pace when he moves the 

 two legs on the same side simultaneously, and proceeds in 

 a curious swinging style. The pacer, horse for horse, is 

 faster than the trotter, and the mile record of America is 

 held by a horse which moved in this ungainly fashion, which, 

 however, is an easy one for the rider. (See Amble, Trot.) 



Pack Horse. — It must regretfully be admitted that the 

 old pack horse is now a thing of the past, and hence the 

 necessity of treating briefly with one of the most valuable and 

 attractive of the ancient breeds of English horses. At the 

 same time, the merits of the variety were so great that it 

 deserves a passing tribute of recognition, and an expression 

 of resrret that the horse-breeders of Devonshire should have 

 allowed the pack horse to become extinct. Before railways 



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