ENGLISH TROTTERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 177, 28 July 1926, Page 12

ENGLISH TROTTERS.

A HARDY TYPE. The British-bred trotter is a sounder animal than his American cousin, wrote Mr. Percy F. Thorn in an English exchange. A great many of the American trotters racing in England to-day require an enormous amount of nursing and doctoring before they are ready for a race. This may be due to their having been overdone when in the States. Op the other hand, the British-bred brother is a very hardy horse. I can give a few instances to prove this. Several London tradesmen who indulge in trotting can often be seeji driving their trade vans, either going or returning from market. They use tha same trotter in the governess-cart for - the afternoon drive, and the same trotter can he seen taking part in a race at Greenford Park. The British'bred trotter is usually got by an American trotter out of a Welsh mare, Hackney mare, or a trotting mare. When out of the latter they usually have more speed. In Wales for the past ten years the Welsh farmers have experimented rather largely in the breeding of the Britishbred trotter, although in Wales the progeny still retains the name Welsh. The trotting stallions Heritor, Silk Twist, Callino, St. Fagan's Boy, Panmount, Little Bantam, Alphonso, Young Solomon, Onward, and Baron Alfred have been used to a great many Welsh mares. The records of these stallions are as follow: —

Silk Twist has been accepted for registration in tlie Welsh Stud Book, so, many of liis stock being so true to the Welsh type. I remember a friend buying a beautiful cob from Wales. I admired it so much that I persuaded him to write to the farmer and ask, for curiosity, how she was bred. My friend insisted that she was a Welsh mare, but the farmer's ; reply proved that what I had thought ; was correct. Tho mare was by Silk Twist / —dam, a Welsh mare.

A great many Welsh farmers have improved their own particular strain of Welsh trotters by using the trotting' stallion. Invariably the stock are cobby, and of Welsh conformation. And, again, the trotting stallion upholds the old Welsh cob's tradition of stamina and speed. The mare Cashmere, by Silk Twist out of a Welsh Express mare, was a very strong animal, with quite eight inches of bone, splendid shoulders, and strong, powerful quarters, and obviously Welsh to the eyes of the average horseman. She was a "far better specimen than any of the Arab or Hackney crosses I have seen. By crossing with the Arab, the progeny are bad trotters. When crossed with 'the Hackney, they are more cobby, but lose the speed: whereas, when the Welsh mare is crossed with the trotting stallion, the progeny enjoys a perfect combination of bone, stamina, and speed.

m. s. Heritor —American record 2 6J Silk Twist—American record 2 12 Calllno—American record...-. 2 14 St. Fagan's Boy—American record., 2 15 Panmount —American record 2 27 Little Bantam—British 'record....,, 2 30 Alphonso—British record 2 30 Young Solomon —British record 2 45 Onward—British record. 2 35 Baron Alfred—British record 2 12