An examination into the registered speeds of American trotting horses, with remarks on their value as hereditary data

Abstract

It is strange that the huge sums spent on the breeding of pedigree stock, whether of horses, cattle, or other animals, should not give rise to systematic publications of authentic records in a form suitable for scientific inquiry into the laws of heredity. An almost solitary exception to the disregard, shown by breeders and owners, of exact measurements for publication in stud books, exists in the United States with respect to the measured speed of “trotters” and “pacers” under defined conditions. The performance of 1 mile by a trotter, harnessed to a two-wheeled vehicle, carrying a weight of not less than 150 lbs. inclusive of the driver, in 2 minutes 30 seconds qualifies him for entry in the Trotting Register, giving him, as it were, a pass-degree into a class of horses whose several utmost speeds or “records” are there published.