TROTTER 



ment is not impeded, and the feet will come down on the 

 ground to the sound of a regular one, two, three, four, which 

 is music to the ear of the lover of action. An irregular, 

 uneven trot, if not an actual sign of lameness, is included in 

 the category of faulty actions, and renders a horse com- 

 paratively valueless, whereas a high mover which goes 

 behind is sure to be worth a very large sum of money. The 

 trot of a horse which is required for working purposes is not 

 by any means so imposing as that of the show horse, but 

 is eminently a more serviceable gait. In the stepper the 

 high action of the knee is not conducive to long wear and 

 tear on the hard road, and in the case of many animals who 

 do not use their shoulders properly it is likely to entail 

 concussion. Very often, too, the high mover does not get 

 away in front and lacks propelling power behind, so that he 

 is slow in his movements and unfitted for work. What is 

 required for the latter purpose is plenty of good shoulder 

 action, and enough bend of the knee to get the feet well off 

 the ground. Knee action that extends the limb well in front 

 of the body after it is bent is the sort that attracts the 

 driving man, as it enables the animal to get over the ground 

 provided that there is sufficient propelling power behind. 

 (See Free Actio7t, Propelling Power, Round Action, Shoulders.) 



Trotter. — The Trotter is undoubtedly an American pro- 

 duction, but it is equally certain that most of the best horses 

 of this breed trace their pedigrees back to the Hackney 

 stallion, Bellfounder, who crossed the Atlantic in the early 

 part of last century. The modern light roadster of America 

 is of a more refined build than the ordinary English harness 

 horse, and, as a general rule, possesses no claim to be regarded 

 as a high actioned animal. On the other hand, he is extremely 

 graceful, and uses his shoulders and hocks superbly, the result 

 being that many Trotters which have proved themselves to 

 be too slow for racing purposes have earned high honours in 

 the show ring in classes where exaggerated knee action is not 

 required. When used for track racing the Trotter is driven 



344 



