GEO. W. CURTIS—DEVELOPMENT OF THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 43 
That an animal with long hind cannon will be a galloper by nature, 
and with short, a trotter, is shown most clearly by a study of the 
measurements and gaits of those wild animals with which we are 
familiar. The elephant, whose gait is nothing but a trot, in spite of 
his enormous size and length of leg has hock placed almost on the 
ground — a cannon bone no longer than its breadth, and never to ex¬ 
ceed 5 inches. A little study of the parts concerned will satisfy the 
most incredulous that the gait which he assumes by nature is a matter 
not of choice but of necessity—he could not gallop if he would. His 
leverage has been wisely placed to carry weight of his ungainly body 
and his speed becomes a matter wholly secondary. The long, strong 
muscles reaching from his hip to hock, run almost parallel to the 
bones of upper thigh and leg, and could hardly be expected to exert 
sufficient force for lifting such enormous quarters briskly as in gal¬ 
loping; the motion must be swinging — not propelling — a condition 
which the trot fulfills exactly. 
The other extreme—the long hind cannon and the corresponding 
pushing or propelling gait, the gallop—may be found in all those ani¬ 
mals of well known speed, as deer and antelope, jack rabbits and the 
like. Their natural gait, at anything beyond a walk in speed, is 
known to be a gallop, and the conformation correlates the gait. The 
prong-horned antelope (Antilocapra Americana') of Northwest Texas, 
rarely ever known to trot, although but 31)4 inches high, displays a 
cannon measurement of 12)4 inches as compared with length from hip 
to hock of 16)4, a ra fi° of but 1:1.3. 
Just what ratio in this lower lever will be most conducive to the 
trotting gait can be determined only by a study of the measurements 
of well known trotting horses now before the public, noting the pecu¬ 
liar points of interest in their ways of going, and especially their ten¬ 
dencies to break when urged to highest speed. Sunol measures 17)4 
and 40 respectively for hind cannon and length from hip to hock, a 
ratio of 1:2.285. Her hock is very low, the cannon extra short, and 
her mile in 2:08)4 bears witness to her speed capacity. Ansel, also 
by Electioneer, shows nearly equal measurement, a ratio of 1:2.222. 
Delmarch, by Hambrino, measures 17)4 an d 38)4, a ratio of 1:2.232. 
Jack, the steady, gray campaigner owned by Mr. Forbes, measures 
17)4 and 37, a ratio of 1:2.114. Mary Marshal measures 18 and 39, a 
ratio of 1:2.167; and Allerton, the king of racing stallions, measures 
17 and 39, a ratio of 1:2.294. 
Nearly all the great celebrities at present on the track show cannon 
not quite half as long as length from hip to hock; a few exceptions 
only prove the rule. The horses named are all pure gaited trotters, 
bearing voice and whip if needed in a race without a skip, and strain- 
' ing every muscle in a keen desire to win. The record each has made 
is plainest evidence that trotting blood and brain and leverage com- 
