GEO. W. CURTIS—DEVELOPMENT OF THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 41 
tween weight and fulcrum) combined with pully action of the tendons 
at the hock — exactly corresponding to the leverage in front which 
bends the cannon on the fore-arm. (See illustration—Rear Leverage.) 
If the distance from the hip to hock be fairly long in reference to 
the lower thigh, the horse will stand with straighter leg at rest, and 
the hock will swing in trotting almost underneath the stifle, somewhat 
with the motion of a pendulum. Such are called “line trotters,” 
and our best examples bear the blood of Hambletonian through his 
son Electioneer. Nearly all Electioneers reach out in front and trot 
directly on a line behind, the hind foot passing underneath the front, 
and placing squarely with the body. 
The Knoxes of New England illustrate extremely narrow trotting, 
passing hocks in motion very close, and barely missing interference. 
The thigh is very short, the length from hip to hock is relatively long. 
They are descended from a horse called General Knox — standing 15 
hands 2 inches, and with a thigh but 20 inches and a half. 
The reverse of this proportion, longer thigh and relatively shorter 
length from hip to hock, compels the horse to travel wide behind — 
swinging out the hocks in motion to avoid necessity for greater eleva¬ 
tion of the stifle. The extreme in wide hock action showed in Duroc, 
with a thigh 24)4 as compared with length from hip to hock of only 
39 — a ratio of 1:1.592. All of his descendants, to the present day, 
show Duroc blood in length of thigh, and travel with that open, strad¬ 
dling gait which such a conformation makes imperative. 
Hambletonian showed the middle ground in ratio, both lines being 
long, but lengthened so that each might correlate the other’s action 
and insure “line trotting” to perfection. His measurements were 24 
and 41 respectively for thigh and hip to hock — a ratio of 1:1.708, and 
his best descendants show a similar proportion. Nancy Hanks, al¬ 
ready mentioned as the daughter of a son of Hambletonian (Happy 
Medium), measures 21)4 an d 38— a ratio of 1:1.747. Ansel, by an¬ 
other son (Electioneer), measures 23)4 and 40)4 — a ratio of 1:1.723. 
Maud S. by Harold (one of Hambletonian’s sons) measures 23)4 an d 
40—a ratio of 1:1.684 — and is said to have an almost perfect action. 
Sunol, by Electioneer, has longer thigh and therefore has a longer 
stride, and carries speed at somewhat wider gait than most of the 
Electioneers. Her measurements are 24)4 and 40—a ratio of 1:1.t32. 
Nearly all the offspring of the so-called “ Star cross ” in the Hamble¬ 
tonian family show the blood of Duroc through his son American 
Star. A horse “Star gaited” trots with well spread hocks and carries 
speed without a chance of interference, front or rear. 
But by far the most important trotting leverage remains to be con¬ 
sidered: length of Metatarsal bone (the cannon of the hind leg), as 
compared with length from hip to hock. As a rule the horse with 
hock placed low — that is, with short hind cannon — carries speed to 
