THE EQUESTRIAN ART. 233 



natural rapidity, that wire edge of fpeed, is not 

 to be acquired, yet proper fhapes will un- 

 doubtedly trot, and trotters are to be bred. 



They are divided into fair and running 

 trotters, of the latter (ufually) fpeed is the beft. 

 I am a bungler at defcription, and can only 

 fay, that the runner is diftinguifhed by a rolling 

 motion, and does not bend his knees fo much, 

 or flep out, fo far as the fair trotter. His 

 pace, I conceive, to be fomewhat fimilar to 

 the racking of former days, already mention- 

 ed; it has alfo the appearance of being occa- 

 fioned by hurts in the joints ; and old battered 

 trotters frequently become runners in their 

 latter days. Or, after all, it may be occasioned 

 by bad breaking, and fuffering a confufion of 

 the paces. Horfes which jump and bound 

 along like bucks, will never make trotters. 



An idea prevails with many, that trotting 

 horfes are naturally (tumblers, or at leaft 

 dangerous to ride. It is totally unfounded. 

 They are, perhaps, merely from their mode of 

 going, among the fafeft ; nor is there any pe- 

 culiar danger in the mod rapid trot, provided 

 your hack be well-fhaped and found. The 

 notion has arifen from the miferably battered 

 {late of mod horfes of this defcription. 



It may not be held unentertaining or unufe^ 

 ful, to fuch as are fond of the fport of trotting, 

 if I dedicate a page or two to the memory of 



the 



