Trotting.

Trotting. For more than half a century the trotting horse in America has been a distinctive type. Since this was recognised Copyright 1892 in U.S. to be so the trotting strains have by J. B. Lippincott been much improved by careful Company. breeding, while skilful training has greatly aided in the development of these useful horses. Indeed, it may be said that the trotter is the national horse of America, where it is considered the ideal animal for both business and pleasure. There are trotting strains elsewhere than in America—for instance, the Norfolk trotters in England and the Orloff trotters in Russia—but no other strain has attained the speed of the trotting-horse in America. The turf test of speed is the only one by which trotting strains can be judged, and trotting races are held in America for the purpose of applying this test, quite as much as to furnish sport to spectators. Compared with running races, even in America, trotting contests are not very popular. The trot and the amble or pace are kindred gaits, the latter being the faster. The trot is a diagonal and the pace a lateral gait. In the trot the order of movement is left fore-foot, right hind-foot, right fore-foot, left hind-foot. Thus the left fore-foot and right hind-foot move in unison, striking the ground together; then in turn the right fore and left hind foot complete the movement. In the pace two feet are also moved simultaneously, but the two feet moved at once are on the same side. From the same strains of blood there frequently come both natural trotters and pacers. Though pacing is the faster gait, it is not considered desirable, and pacers are often converted into trotters by the use of heavy toe weights on the forward feet. A competent trainer by the use of these weights can change an inveterate pacer into a trotter. As the horse becomes used to the trot the weights are gradually reduced. The gait of even natural trotters is oftener than not helped by the use of toe weights.

The best strains of American trotters trace back to the thoroughbred gray stallion Messenger, imported from England in 1788 when he was eight years old. He was by Mambrino, first dam by Turk, second dam by Regulus, third dam by Stirling, fourth dam by Fox, fifth dam by Bay Bolton, sixth dam by Duke of Newcastle's Turk, seventh dam by Byerly Turk, eighth dam by Taffolet Barb, and ninth dam by Place's White Turk. Though this record shows that Messenger's pedigree goes back to the very beginning of the thoroughbreds, it is generally thought that he himself was not, strictly speaking, a thoroughbred. The more frequent the Messenger cross is found in the pedigree of a trotter, the more valuable the strain is thought to be. Messenger begot Mambrino, Mambrino begot Abdallah, and Abdallah begot Rysdyk's Hambletonian. Rysdyk's Hambletonian, foaled in 1849, was out of the Charles Kent mare by Bellfounder, a horse imported from England, and said to come of the strain of Norfolk trotters, and with two crosses on the dam's side tracing back to Messenger. Rysdyk's Hambletonian is considered by breeders to be the father of the American trotters. Many experiments have been tried in breeding trotters for greater speed and endurance. Within the space of this article the various theories of breeding cannot even be stated, but recent performers, such as Maud S., Palo Alto, and Sunol, would seem to show that the Hambletonian blood on the side of the sire, with a rich infusion of thoroughbred blood on the side of the dam, is likely to produce faster trotters than any other crosses so far attempted.

The breeding of trotters has become in the United States and Canada a great industry. Yearlings from the trotting stock farms do not command as high prices as yearling thoroughbreds, but in maturity they appear to be more valuable. In 1886 two great breeding stables were sold—the Rancocas, in New Jersey, for breeding thoroughbreds, and the Glenview, in Kentucky, for breeding trotters. The Rancocas stallions sold at an average of 6370 each, and the brood-mares at 1422, or a general average of 1721. The Glenview stallions brought an average of 12,780, and the brood-mares 1678, and a general average of 2238. These were both breeding establishments of the first class. It is probable that a like comparative average would be maintained at lesser sales. Individual trotters have been sold for very high figures—many of the fastest of them to Mr Robert Bonner of New York. Although, through his not making public the prices paid by him, these cannot be stated with certainty, it is believed that he paid 35,000 for Dexter, 40,000 for Maud S., and 50,000 for Sunol. The young stallion Axtell was sold in 1889 for 105,000, and Nancy Hanks in 1891 for 75,000. These were all phenomenal trotters. Prices vary from these fancy figures down to 250.

The first trotting race in America of which there is a record was at Harlem, N.Y., in 1806, when Yankee did a mile in 2 minutes 50 seconds. Then there is a record of a match in Philadelphia in 1810, when a Boston horse trotted a mile in 2 minutes 48½ seconds. The next race was in 1818, when the time was 3 minutes. There was nothing very wonderful about these performances, for horses in England had before then done as well, if not better. In England, in 1800, Phenomenon trotted 17 miles in 56 minutes, and in the same month repeated the distance in 53 minutes. This was at the rate of 62 minutes 20 seconds for 20 miles. This English performance remained unbeaten until Messenger's great-grandson Trustee went the distance in 59 minutes 35½ seconds. Since then only six horses have equalled Trustee's per- formance. These long-distance trials are justly regarded as cruel and unprofitable. The reduction of the trotting record has been steady but not rapid. Here are some of the prominent records :

Among the pacers the best records are those of Johnston, which paced a mile, in 1884, in 2 minutes 6½ seconds, and Direct, which did the same distance, in 1891, in 2 minutes 6 seconds.

Troubadours. See PROVENCAL.