78 THE HORSE 



qualities. Above nearly all things, choose for both sire 

 and dam, a pure-gaited trotter, for the gait of the ideal 

 trotting -horse is as the swing of the pendulum. A 

 trotter should carry his toe -weights in his head. When 

 Lou Dillon trotted a mile in 1:58% she covered more 

 than forty -four and a half feet to the second. How 

 plainly this points to the importance of perfect trotting 

 action! The foregoing rules apply not only to the 

 breeding of trotters for the track, but for all purposes. 

 The farmer, mechanic or other man of small means, not 

 a professional breeder, cannot expect, with his limited 

 opportunities, to produce grand circuit flyers, for under 

 the best conditions they are accidents; but by adherence 

 to the course here given he can breed, with reasonable 

 certainty, handsome, sound and speedy trotters for 

 carriage and light wagon, and also desirable coachers. 

 Horses of this kind should be of good color, bay, 

 brown, black or sorrel. As a rule, bay or brown horses 

 command the best prices; grays and roans do not sell 

 well. Beauty and style of movement are qualities 

 highly prized. Roadsters and coachers should have a 

 higher, bolder action in front than is usually found in 

 the fast trotter; and this quality, like all others, should 

 be sought in the sire and the dam. 



THE PACING -HORSE 



Regarding the origin and history of the pacer 

 previous to the last thirty years, nothing need be 

 said additional to what is given in the pages devoted 

 to the trotter. Until a comparatively recent period, 



