428 UNGULATA. 



THE TROTTING-HORSE. 



The TROTTING-HORSE (Plate XXXII) is pre-eminently the Amer- 

 ican horse, and the pace attained during the last few years is almost 

 incredible, but is well authenticated. 



In England, trotting matches have never been fashionable, but some 

 celebrated ones are recorded. In 1822, there was a match of nine miles 

 between Mr. Bernard's mare and Captain Colston's horse, near Gerrard's 

 Cross, for five hundred guineas. It was won easily by the mare, who 

 performed the distance in twenty-seven minutes and forty-six seconds. 

 The horse went the same distance in twenty-seven minutes forty-nine 

 seconds, which is nearly at the rate of nineteen and a half miles an 

 hour. The race was on an ordinary road. 



This, however, had been equalled or excelled some years before. Sir 

 Edward Astley's Phenomenon mare, when twelve years old, trotted 

 seventeen miles in fifty-six minutes. There being some difference about 

 the fairness of the trotting, she performed the same distance a month 

 afterward in less than fifty-three minutes, which was rather more than 

 nineteen miles an hour. Her owner then offered to trot her nineteen 

 and a half miles an hour ; but, it being proved that in the last match she 

 did one lap of four miles in eleven minutes, or at the rate of more than 

 twenty-one and a half miles an hour, the betting men would have nothing 

 more to do with her. 



Mr. Osbaldeston had a celebrated American trotting-horse, called 

 Tom Thumb. He matched him to trot one hundred miles in ten hours 

 and a half. It seemed to be an amazing distance, and impossible to be 

 accomplished ; but the horse had done wonders as a trotter ; he was in 

 the highest condition ; the vehicle did not weigh more than one hundred 

 pounds, nor the driver more than one hundred and forty-three pounds. 

 He accomplished his task in ten hours and seven minutes ; his stoppages 

 to bait, etc., occupied thirty-seven minutes — so that, in fact, the hundred 

 miles were done in nine hours and a half. He was not at any time 

 distressed ; and was so fresh at the end of the ninetieth mile, that his 

 owner offered to take six to four that he did fourteen miles in the next 

 hour, but no one was bold enough to take the bet. 



An English-bred mare was afterward matched to accomplish the 

 same task. She was one of those animals, rare to be met with, that 

 could do almost anything as a hack, a hunter, or in harness, and on one 



