TROTTERS. 



587 



incline more or less outwards (Fig. 57), and consequently 

 form an angle with each other. This abnormal confor- 

 mation is almost always due to the fact that the axis of 

 the pastern bones is not in the same vertical plane as 

 that of the cannon bone (Fig. 55). As the horse has 

 hardly any " side play " (power of lateral rotation) in 

 the joints of his fore legs, he is unable to rectify this 

 abnormal position of the pastern bones during movement, 



Pliolo b!j] 



[SOHKEiiiER & Sons, Philadelphia, 

 Fig- 57'- — American trotting stallion, Kremlin (2. 07J). 



or when standing still. Turning out the toes is a serious 

 defect from an ordinary working point of view, because 

 it makes the affected animal more or less liable to " hit " 

 himself (" interfere ") ; but it may be an advantage in 

 the match trotter, because, with the gradual and con- 

 tinued increase of speed, it has become more and more 

 a characteristic of this breed. Hambletonian, like almost 

 all the other old-time trotters, did not turn out his toes ; 

 but, now, about nine-tenths of standard trotting breds 



