THE ORIGIN OF PACING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2617, 11 May 1904, Page 46

THE ORIGIN OF PACING.

Many people entertain the idea that the pacing gait is a development of recent years, and that that gait was cultivated solely because horses displayed more speed at that gait than at the trot. As a roadster the pacer is not looked upon with favour, as they -were seldom found to be journey horses, •whilst their action is not so conducive to comfort as that of a trotter. But that the pacer is of recent origin is interestingly eontradictedi by an American' writer, who says that '• the idea that the pace is a cultivated gait and that the antedates the pacer is absurd. The pacer antedates 'the trotter thousands of years. On the roai3nit of the Acropolis in Athens stand the ruins of the Parthenon, a magnificent temple erected to the goddess Minerva. The building was commenced in the year B.C. 4-37, and was aompletcd five years afterwards. All the statuary was the work of the famous iPhidias and his scholars. It was made from Pentelic marble. This noted building reBkted all the ravages of the time, and had in turn "been converted into a Christian temple arid a Turkish mosque. In 1676 it .was still entire, but in 1687 Athens was beiiegeS by the "Venetians, and had the Parthenon was hopelessly wrecked. As a rum it (became the" prey of the Turks and other d-evastatore. In order to save something of ■what remained of its preoious works of art, liord Elgin, about" the year 18G0, brought ■home to England some portions of the frieze of the tempfe, with" other works of Phidias in marble. He soldi them to the Government, and they are preserved in jtfoe British Museum. The frieze is a most -interesting subject to study, not only as a specimen of Greek art of the period of -Pericles, but ac a historic record of the type and action of the Greek horses of that day. It consists of a series of white marble slabs about four feet wide, upon which are sculptured in high relief the heroes and defenders of Athene, mounted on horses, mxfil. the horses are all pacing and distinctly show the pacing attitude. This is the first jiecord of the pacer, and it is now over 233Q years old. The. statuary of the early -ages furnish come -excellent illustrations ol )the gait of the horses at that period of the world's history. The four bronze horses on Bt. Mark's in "Venice are known throughout 3che -world, and -they are all in the pacing attitude. The true date of these horses is last in history, but it is -pretty certain that they were cast in Rome about the. beginning of the Christian •era. Their capture in Rome .and transfer to Constantinople, then their capture by the Venetians and transfer to Venice ; next their capture by Kapolean and transfer to Paris, and then their restoration to Venice, are -all matters of history, ibr the first half of the seventeenth century pacers were popular, common, and abounded everywhere in England. In the second naif of the eighteenth century not one could! t>e found in all Britain. Of all the facts that «re known and established in the history of the English horse the_ wiping out of the pacer is the most striking and significant.