104 HINTS ON SELECTION, CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF HORSES. 



"Almost all the line descendants of old Hambletonian have this 

 easy reaching action, and the measurements of leading members of the 

 family show a uniformly long fore-arm and short front cannon, which, 

 together, guarantee the smooth, far-reaching action just explained. The 

 Electioneers descended from Electioneer, the greatest son of Hamble- 

 tonian show the feature strongest, and among them rest the records of 

 the world at nearly every age from yearlings up. Hambletonian himself, 

 the founder of the Hambletonian family, and the horse that should be 

 credited as the actual founder of the trotting breed, had a cannon 

 measurement of n^, fore-arm of 20^ inches a ratio of 1:1.783, and 

 this ratio is exactly reproduced in his grandson Ansel, owned by Mr. 

 Bonner and selected by him as the then best son of Electioneer. Sunol, 

 the best daughter of Electioneer, measures 10^ and 19^ inches re- 

 spectively for cannon bone and fore-arm a ratio of 1:1.823. Nancy 

 Hanks, by Happy Medium, another son of Hambletonian, measures 10 

 and 19 inches a ratio of 1:1.9. Her knee action is perfection, and 

 her mile in 2:09 * on a regulation track is almost fairly equal to the 

 2:08^ of Sunol on the Stockton kite. 



" The extreme of high knee action was illustrated in the gait of 

 Smuggler a converted pacer of undoubted courage and recorded trot- 

 ting speed, but whose every motion carried a suggestion of a cyclone. 

 He measured 12 and 20 inches a ratio of 1:1.666. Helm credits 

 Smuggler with raising the knee above the horizontal to an angle of 45 

 degrees, and states that he 'strikes the ground with a force that is simply 

 terrific.' It should be borne in mind, however, that the heavy muscled 

 shoulders, high withers and well set neck which made him pace by na- 

 ture made him also strike with added weight when speeding at the trot. 



"While the principle of speed with least exertion is a good one 

 always to be kept in view, we should not forget that safety lies in mid- 

 dle ground of conformation. The extremely short front cannon, acting 

 with the long fofe-arm, amounts to drag or dwelling motion and may 

 even spring the knees behind the vertical, resulting in a " calf -kneed " 

 horse which no one can admire and few will care to use. The horse 

 with extra short fore-arm and long front cannon will finally be knee- 

 sprung almost to a certainty "buck-kneed" and stumbling as he 

 walks, a perfect picture of decrepitude. (See illustration.) For the 

 stylish coach or carriage horse, the proud high stepper, with the short 

 fore-arm and relatively longer cannon, will be greatly in demand; but 

 for speed and stamina in long heat races, tie your fortunes to the horse 

 that reaches out in front and moves the body forward on an even line at 

 no great distance from the ground. 



"Rear leverage in the horse means something more than mucsle 

 force which gives propelling power. No horse can carry speed at any 



* Since reduced to 2:04. 



