94 THE PACING ELEMENT. 



move aiul strike together. Each is alike foreign to the gallop, and each 

 is alike impelled by the same brain or nerve impulses to refrain from 

 the gallop — so they have this one element in common, and it is easier 

 for them to modify their way of going in favor of each other, than it 

 is for them to gallop — hence the affinity of nerve and physical organ- 

 ism that adapts the pacer to the trotting knack, is no great mj-stery. 

 The pacer long bred in that line, acquires a conformation that is 

 readilv recognizable, and in it are seen many of the strong points 

 wliich adapt him to trotting action of the most vigorous kind. His 

 powerful shoulders and quarters, his strength of back and loin, and 

 the immense and sweeping stride of the hind leg, fit him for great 

 superiority of action. His weight of shoulder and forequarter is 

 often so great as to be against him; but it gives him great power, and 

 if he can only keep on his feet, he goes with a wonderful momentum. 

 The pacer is generally a horse of a powerful frame, and of superior 

 muscular development. 



In this connection it may also be observed that the crossing of the 

 well-bred trotting sire on the fast pacing mare, such as I have described^ 

 has in so many cases resulted in a fast trotter that it has almost come 

 to be regarded as a real phenomenon in breeding. So many instances 

 of this have occurred as to strongly commend this class of mares as 

 suitable to mate with the best of trotting stallions. The reverse order 

 of breeding, while it has produced some noted performers, is not 

 regarded as sufficiently certain to make pacing stallions popular. 



When the pacing habit has been indulged for many generations it 

 becomes so fixed, both in mental or nerve organism and in physical 

 structure, as to render it a matter of difficulty to depart from it. The 

 form of the so-called natural pacer is as striking and obvious to the 

 eye at a glance as that of any other class. 



Some of the Canadian pacers, and among these the Pilots in par- 

 ticular, assumed the trotting form and gait with great readiness 

 when crossed with the other families — much more readily in fact than 

 the Copper-bottoms and the Red-bucks — the latter being the most 

 inveterate of all the pacers. Many of our first-class trotting families 

 who run back to this last cross show a decided tendency to the 

 ambling or shuffling gait of the pacer — as for example, the Swigerts. 



The earliest of the pacers was Highland JNIaid, a mare that after- 

 ward became a trotter and was the first to trot in 2 :27. She was by 

 Saltram, and he was a pacec by Kentucky Whip, dam, by Duroc, son of 

 Diomed. 



