238 A TREATISE ON HORSE-BREEDING. 



ticular style, carriage, and form of action which 

 has been so highly prized by the French people 

 in horses for the carriage or coach. In some 

 families of the breed a very creditable degree 

 of trotting speed has been attained ; and this 

 without sacrificing the especially coach-horse 

 characteristics. The size has been maintained 

 by a turf law which excludes all horses under 

 15| hands high from competing for trotting 

 prizes ; and endurance has been cultivated by 

 encouraging long-distance races usually two 

 miles or over and on the turf instead of a 

 hard, smooth track, as in the United States. 

 These long-distance contests inevitably weed 

 out the "soft ones," while trotting on the turf 

 shortens the stride, increases the knee action, 

 and necessarily quickens the step in order to 

 attain speed, thus retaining and cultivating in 

 their fastest trotters the peculiar knee action 

 and step desired in the coach horse. The pre- 

 vailing color is bay, but there are many chest- 

 nuts among them and blacks are occasionally 

 seen. 



When the system of breeding above alluded 

 to was inaugurated the produce of the union 

 of the Thoroughbred sires with the French 

 mares were called demi-sang (half-blood); and 

 notwithstanding the " breeding-up " process 

 which has constantly been going on for over 

 one hundred years these horses are still called 



