VALUABLE HINTS TO FARRIERS, ETC. 



LINE TROTTER 



341 



B 

 )A 



THE LINE TROTTER. 



The trotting horse that moves as close to a 

 straight line in his action, economizes in the 

 greatest degree his muscular exertions, as well 

 as shortens the space over which he moves to 

 the goal. It must be remembered in the math- 

 ematical axiom that a straight line is the short- 

 est distance between two given points, applies 

 with force to the action of the trotting horse. 

 The trotting action that is all abroad, technic- 

 ally speaking, wherein the hind legs violate 

 tlie line precision by excess of width and 

 height, and the front legs climb, with a waste 

 of knee action as to interfere with the leniith 

 of stride, means over-exertion, muscular wea- 

 riness, and total exhaustion at the finish of a 

 race. 



The illustration clearly shows the foot prints 

 of a line trotter : 



A shows the print of the front foot, and 



B that of the hind foot. 



Such a horse trots with the precision of a 

 perfectly constructed machine. He must be 

 perfect at birth. His stifles must be developed 

 straight, with the points turning neither out- 

 wardly nor inwardly, for tlie outward turning 

 of the stifles indicates tli3 straddler in action, 

 while their inward turning would make the 

 horse pigeon-toed behind, with a predisposition 

 to cross-firing. But, if tlie stifles are straiglit, 

 the hind feet will land in a line with the front 

 feet ; all the prints will flex straight, backward 

 and forward in their journals, and the horse 

 A. can sustain his speed with extreme endurance. 



B 



