328 TKAINING THE TROTTING HORSE. 



much like the Electioneers, and they all had some 

 degree of speed. They have good legs and feet, are 

 easily kept, and are naturally hardy. The famil}^ of 

 the old pacer, whose history I have already given, first 

 came into notice as excellent work-horses. Eailway 

 contractors would take them in preference to any 

 other breed for work. 



The family of George M. Patchen Jr., 2:27, showed 

 excessive knee-action, and indeed lots of action all 

 ground. A great many of them were gross, coarse 

 horses ; but judiciously crossed the blood is a valuable 

 strain. 



The Belmonts were in form more like trotting-horses 

 than race-horses, and some of them did trot and pro- 

 duce trotters. Owen Dale and Don Victor both had a 

 fair degree of trotting-action. The latter I saw trot a 

 mile in 3:12 at twenty 3^ ears old, and few thorough- 

 breds can do that. He was a fair race-horse, but was 

 afterward used as a doctor's hack. Mrs. Marvin 

 drove him in his late 3^ears, and found him a good 

 road-horse. Williamson's Belmont, the founder of the 

 family, was a thoroughbred son of American Bov, and 

 was brought to California in 1853, and died in 1865. 

 He left a great family, both as race-horses and general 

 road-horses. This is a favorite strain in California, 

 and a trotting-pedigree can have no better foundation 

 to rest on than Belmont blood. 



The Moor founded one of the greatest of California 

 families — horses noted for good, clean, sound legs and 

 feet, solid colors and excellent form. The Moors are 

 uniformly trotters, and, as a rule, are game, resolute 

 horses. They are generally built on the greyhound 



