410 GOVERNOR SPRAGUE. 



for a rear leverage a thigh of 2Z^ inches, and is 39^ inches from 

 centre of hip to outer edge of the hock. He is muscled about as the 

 aA^erage sons of Hambletonian — not so heavy in the quarter and on 

 the lower thigh as those of the Star cross, but has great strength of 

 limb, especially at the hocks and other joints. 



To those of my readers who have carefully read my description of the 

 conformation and gait of other horses, the gait of Governor Sprague 

 will be readily understood. At a slow jog he paddles slightly — that 

 is, he throws his front feet outwardly side wise as he starts oiF — but as 

 soon as he advances beyond the rate of a mere jog, his front feet are 

 thrown forward in right line, and with perfect precision and great force. 

 He elevates his feet fairly (but not enough to make his knees appear 

 higher than his elbows), and bends his knees slightly. After a careful 

 study of his gait in rapid motion, I fixed upon the exact position of 

 his front feet, legs and knees, and the artist, under my direction, in the 

 picture of Governor Sprague, which appears in and was executed for 

 this work, has given the most exact and perfect expression to the ap- 

 pearance of this horse, in every respect. He bends his knees a little 

 more than the average Volunteers and Almonts, but not nearly sa 

 much as the Everetts and others that I have described in previous 

 chapters. He throws his foot forward with a plunge that is the extreme 

 of vigor, but does not bring it down with the sharj), chopping stroke 

 that tells so fearfully upon the forelegs and feet of other trotters. His 

 action of the forelegs is out-reaching to a fair degree, and attended 

 •with extreme muscular force and energy. 



He has been described by an able and elegant writer as " a foot and 

 leg tfotter;" but I suppose this writer did not intend to overlook the 

 vigorous and powerful action of his shoulders and the muscular part 

 of his forequarter. His motion is in such perfect line, so true and 

 steady, as to appear to call into requisition but little besides his feet 

 and legs. But every part works with great power and in perfect har- 

 mony. To describe his action behind, I find it convenient to repeat 

 and refer to what I wrote in a former chapter: 



The Abdallah gait is like that of the Clay in this, that the hind leg ap- 

 pears to extend backward much in the same line or manner as the Clay, but 

 not so far, and is brought forward also much in the same line, but not so far, 

 but with an elastic, springy motion — the very opposite of the violent and 

 demonstrative — that gives the eye the impression that, in reality, no power at 

 all is being expended. The legs appear to extend moderately, but do not really 

 appear to bend, and the muscles work so easily that they do not seem to be 

 working at all ; the body appears to rock gently to and fro on four straight 



