THE AMERICAN TROTTER 29 



institutions. Harness racing is more than anything else responsible 

 for the present characters of the trotter, just as saddle racing in 

 England gave his qualities to the Thoroughbred. There are cer- 

 tain institutions that are peculiarly American. The great national 

 sport of baseball is a notable example, and it differs essentially from 

 the games of ball played in other countries. Harness racing, mile 

 heats, best three in five by classes, is another great national sport. 

 To play this game, speed at the trot (or pace) is the prime requi- 

 site. The bike-sulky, appliances of hamess and boots, parlor 

 tracks, a perfect system of training and conditioning, skilful driving, 

 all important factors in winning the game, become impotent with- 

 out the inherent ability of the horse to trot fast. Every effort on 

 the part of those engaged in the trotting game has been bent 

 toward producing a horse that can trot a race of mile heats faster 

 than his competitors. Hundreds of local and state associations 

 hold race meetings, at which liberal purses tempt the efforts of 

 trotting-horse men to win, and even racing circuits of national 

 character engage the interest of horsemen week by week for a 

 season of several months each year. It has therefore become the 

 regular business of a prominent class of men to develop and race 

 the best of our trotting horses, and it has become the business of a 

 still greater class to breed and rear horses of the type that wins 

 races and which command long prices as a racing prospect. 



It is not alone the race tracks that make a demand for trotting 

 horses. Many men of wealth enjoy light buggy driving behind a 

 good stepper, and a " brush down the road " with a rival. In 

 America racing horses in harness is a mania, and thousands of 

 young horsemen take delight in " giving their dust " to others whom 

 they come across upon the road. Many of these live upon farms 

 with more or less favorable opportunities for breeding their own 

 horses, which are embraced with alacrity. There is always the 

 added reason, or excuse, that the successful venture will bring a 

 good price when sold. The American Trotter is more than any- 



'Oariety in feed is most agreeable and in every way best for the horse. 



