94 BREEDS OF HORSES 



THE AMERICAN TROTTER AND PACER 



The Roadster Type. — This group of horses includes 

 among others the following three prominent breeds ; 

 American Trotter and Pacer, Arabian, and Thoroughbred. 



History. — The American Trotter, whose ancestry can 

 be traced to the trotting and Thoroughbred horses of 

 England, has been developed for the sole purpose of speed 

 and pleasure. By selecting and mating the horses that 

 made fast records, a type best suited for speed has been 

 evolved. American Trotters are the fastest trotting horses 

 in the world. Trotting bred horses that come up to cer- 

 tain standard requirements set forth by the American 

 Trotting Register are known as " Standard Bred Horses." 



Characteristics. — The trot is a gait in which one front 

 foot and the opposite hind foot are moved forward at the 

 same time. In the pace, one front foot and one hind 

 foot on the same side are moved forward at the same time. 

 In both the trot and pace, there is a time that all four feet 

 are in the air, the horse being thrown forward with mo- 

 mentum sufficient to carry his weight through the air. 

 The trot is straightforward. In the pace, the body has a 

 swajdng motion from side to side. The pace is a faster 

 gait than the trot, the world's pacing record for a mile 

 being about three seconds lower. The trot is a more 

 powerful looking gait, and for driving purposes it is the 

 more popular. In the pace the feet are not lifted so high 

 from the ground, which is an advantage on hard roads 

 and streets, giving the horse somewhat better wearing 

 qualities. 



The form of these horses is strongly in contrast with the 

 form of the draft horse. Strength is sacrificed for speed, 



