AMERICAN HORSES. 



" toe out." Kremlin (Fig. 571), who did a mile in 2.07I, 

 was a comparatively rare exception in his class, and 

 did not wear knee boots ; yet many of his stock copy 

 Cresceus and other record breakers in the adoption of 

 this attitiide. Following the teaching of Darwin, Wallace, 

 Weissmann, and other exponents of the laws of heredity, 

 we must regard this pculianty as the result of artifi- 

 cial selection, in breeding from the fastest trotters with- 

 out regard to normally correct conformation. Here, 

 variation is an all-important factor. On pages 295 to 

 297, I have tried to give a rough mathematical explana- 

 tion of the advantage, from a record-breaking point 

 of view, of turning out the toes in trotting. 



The drawback of " hitting " is greatly obviated by 

 the use of " boots " ; in fact, " boots make the trotter " 

 as Americans say. Almost all fast trotters have to wear 

 several kinds of boots (Fig. 572) when doing their best ; 

 but at a slower speed, they do not require them as a 

 rule. Many become so well aware of the danger of hit- 

 ting, that they will not extend themselves, if their legs 

 are not thus protected. " Grabbing boots " are used to 

 protect the heels of the fore legs ; " scalpers," the toes 

 and coronets of the hind legs ; " quarter boots," the 

 coronets in cases of brushing; and "ankle boots," the 

 fetlocks. " Knee and arm boots " are employed against 

 speedy cutting ; and " elbow boots," against the elbows 

 being hit, in which case, the animal is liable to get one 

 or both elbows " capped." Knee, arm, and elbow boots 

 require " suspenders " to keep them in place. 



Although the upright condition of the shoulders and 

 comparatively short body of the match trotter are points 

 of conformation which are favourable to speed at the trot, 

 they have the serious disadvantage of rendering him 

 pecuharly hable to strike his hind toes and coronets against 

 his fore feet, which, when he is going at high speed, he 

 is often unable to lift up with sufficient quickness, to 

 prevent them being hit. In fact, the great difficulty 



