TROTTING HORSES. 63 
strongly of Irish hunters; and this is not strange, 
for, as a rule, the best American trotters, like 
Irish hunters, are partly thoroughbred. The Duke 
of Marlborough has made recently a similar state- 
ment. “The type,” he says, “is something of the 
class of the English hunter with a shorter head, and 
not quite such good shoulders.” Palo Alto, Stamboul, 
and Nelson? are examples of this type, except that 
their heads are not short. Allerton and Axtell are 
more stockily built, and show less quality; Arion, 
again, is much smaller and somewhat finer than 
they. These are the fastest six stallions now on 
the track. They all, with the exception of Arion, 
stand higher at the withers than at the rump. 
A more common type, perhaps, is that exemplified 
in the three mares holding the fastest records, namely, 
Sunol, Maud S., and Nancy Hanks.? These are on 
the racing machine order; they are somewhat narrow- 
chested; their necks are straight; they stand higher 
at the rump than at the withers. Sunol is a large 
mare, sixteen hands high. Maud 8. and Nancy Hanks 
are smaller. The trotter of the present day is repre- 
sented best perhaps by these last two mares; but it 
is probable that the trotter of the future will more 
nearly resemble Palo Alto and Stamboul. 
When it comes to details of form, the difficulty 
of fixing general rules is even greater. If there be 
one invariable feature in a trotting horse it is prob- 
ably this: great length from hip to hock. Such was 
Messenger’s conformation, derived, it is said, from 
1 Nelson is a beautiful horse, of Hambletonian, Morgan, and 
thoroughbred descent. 
2 Nancy Hanks, it may be mentioned, was the maiden name of 
Abraham Lincoln’s mother, near whose birthplace the mare was 
raised. 
