310 TRAINING THE TROTTING HORSE. 



I need not go into any lengthy description of what 

 the form of an ideal stallion ought to be — you all know 

 it. He should be of fair size, with a good, brainy, 

 intelligent head, a strong, sloping shoulder; a round 

 barrel, with a strong, springy loin ; quarters of great 

 power, muscled well inside and out, strong gaskins and 

 forearms ; square-set hocks and knees, short cannons, 

 strong pasterns of medium angle, and good feet. Some 

 will argue that long cannons are just as good as short 

 ones — that a horse with a long cannon wall stride just 

 as far as a short-cannoned horse. That may be true, 

 but I hold that all the driving power is above the hock, 

 all the muscles run from that point upward, and the 

 horse with the longest thigh has the greatest driving 

 power, and more leverage to handle the leg and foot. 



In the dam I want also good action, but I would not 

 be quite so exacting in her case as to having plenty of 

 it, for, right or wrong, it is my belief that the sire gen- 

 erally controls the action. SaUie Benton's dam had 

 very little action ; Dame Winnie, the dam of Palo 

 Alto, and Annette, the dam of Ansel, had not any to 

 speak of, but they were mated Avith Electioneer, a 

 horse of superabundant action. I would avoid a brood- 

 mare, just as I would a sire, with faulty action. Let 

 what they have be square, true and good. I like a 

 brood-mare of moderate size. The dam of Manzanita 

 stood only 14.3 ; the dam of Bonita, 14.2. Beautiful 

 Bells and Dame AYinnie are 15.2; May Queen, 15 

 hands. I prefer mares of rather block}^ build, and they 

 should have good heads, tempers and dispositions. I 

 need not say that soundness should be exacted in the 

 brood-mare, and of course the more perfect the general 



