GEO. W. CURTIS—DEVELOPMENT OF THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 37 
at moments to terrific speed, but just as surely follows up by breaking, 
losing time, and possibly’a race, before he can be righted and held 
down to steady work. 
I have no patience with that narrow view which credits brain in so- 
called lower animals only as an “ instinct.” The horse that bears the 
highest training goes beyond an instinct and shows a true brain action 
at once receptive and controlling in its functions. It can not equal 
human mind ’tis true, but to call it “ instinct ” merely is an insult to 
the horse creation. 
Admitting, as a first essential, brain in horse as well as human, we 
may ask, is there a second necessary—a sort of corollary to the first— 
wherein the tape-line and the practiced eye may be relied on to select 
a future winner at the trot or pace? Can we find, in other words, 
some standard shape, or measurement of certain parts, without which 
highest speed will be impossible ? Perhaps no other subject in the 
breeder’s realm brings forward such opposing forces as the proposition 
just advanced—nor can we say that either side is wholly in the wrong. 
Laws of motion, gravity and projectile speed, and strength by leverage 
of inert matter, have been investigated and are fairly known ; but when 
applied to life and vital action something else must be considered, and 
the strongest rule, as based on theory of motion, may be proven only 
by the plain exceptions found. To say that quality and speed in trot¬ 
ters can be determined by the tape-line to a certainty would be absurd 
at best; but we may be able often to reject the horse that lacks capacity 
to trot at speed and thus save time, and spare ourselves the disap¬ 
pointment certain to result from training trotters that can never trot. 
Bear in mind that best of form must not be taken as a guaranty of 
speed at either trot or pace ; but this much may be said with certainty, 
if he lack the form demanded, he may be fast and game, may even trot 
well down among the lower “ teens ” in seconds ; but the records of the 
world will never be in danger, and the mark he does attain will be due 
to skill in training or to mental impulse, and can not be credited to 
shape or trotting leverage. 
Severe exertion of the muscles, long continued, is only possible when 
the lungs are free in ample chest room. This we find best illustrated 
in the Thoroughbred or running horse, and here comes in an argument 
for the use of running blood in breeding trotters, which so many hold 
in favor. The highbred horse—the Thoroughbred—excels in this re¬ 
spect beyond all question, and the trotter that can stand the strain of 
long heat races must show the lung development of a Thoroughbred, 
with dilating nostrils and the clean fleshed throat that indicates the 
perfect freedom of the breath. 
The muscles of the leg, aside from leverage, which depends on 
length of bone, must be developed to the point of balanced tension, 
