The Roadster 165 



to buy, and the handiest to drive. Not a few of 

 them jog", and go on up to a ten-mile-an-hour gait, 

 at a square trot ; so that no one would suspect them 

 of the " side-wheeHng " instinct until you " cl'k " 

 to them, and take hold of their heads for a bit of a 

 brush. The modern pacer, unlike his prototype of 

 twenty years or more ago, looks exactly like a trot- 

 ter, and displays little or no pacing conformation in 

 his make-up. Most of them turn out their toes, and 

 that seems a peculiarity which rather assists at this 

 particular gait — but whether as cause or effect 

 is not known. They are gaining- in favour as road- 

 sters every day, and one will find twenty in use 

 where, ten years ago. not any were to be seen. 



The trotter is also in fair supply, but the very fast 

 horse at this gait costs money, and is usually more 

 difficult to engineer than the other : more likely to 

 over-pace himself, and, in inexperienced hands, to 

 go to hitching and hopping, and to become foul- 

 gaited through ignorant methods of driving and 

 balancing him. He not infrequently takes rather a 

 sharp hold of the bit when at speed, and is not 



