TROTTERS. 585 



than our best racehorses, a fact which we may see by 

 comparing Cresceus (Fig. 566) with Ormonde (Frontispiece). 

 Formerly, when the competing distance was from 2 to 4 

 miles, the relative length of the body of the trotter was 

 greater than now ; because, at present, the course does 

 not usually exceed one mile. Also, the shoulders of the 

 fast trotter are more upright and heavier than those of 

 the racehorse, which kind of conformation adds to the 

 weight in front. 



An increase of about 4 seconds in the mile is supposed 

 to have been effected by the " bike sulky " ; and a similar 

 improvement in speed is said to be obtained by the 

 " wind-shield " and pace-makers. 



In comparing the conformation of the trotter with that 

 of the racehorse, we must bear in mind that, as a rule, 

 the former is a good deal older than the latter, and con- 

 sequently is " thicker set " in the body. Also, the trotter's 

 work demands more endurance, because he has usually to 

 win three out of five heats, generally of a mile each. 

 We therefore find in the American trotter, a marked 

 absence of the greyhound appearance (p. 232), which is a 

 distinguishing feature of many of our thorough-breds 

 (Figs. 9 and 318) ; in fact, the " standard-bred " 

 generally resembles the steeplechaser (Fig. 432), in being 

 round in the barrel and well ribbed-up. If Americans 

 adopted one-heat races, the trotter would probably be- 

 come as light and " tucked-up," as the ordinary thorough- 

 bred. Against these remarks on staying conformation, 

 my readers may point to the fact that the photograph of 

 Lou Dillon shows that she is — as Mr. Foster terms her — 

 somewhat " wasp-waisted." This peculiarity on her part 

 does not affect the present question, because she gained 

 her record in a single time trial. She was behind a pace- 

 maker, which had a " dust-shield " of wire netting, but no 

 " wind-shield " ; and she did not compete against other 

 horses. Mares, as a rule, are not so well ribbed-up as 

 horses (pp. 235 and 236). 



