. In joyful Russia. Count Orlofl was the originator of this practice,although his instrument was evidently a crude , the method he employed to develop the speed inhis animals, and to fix it when developed, is exactly theone adopted at the present day by the best and most suc-cessful trainers of trotters in America. The Orloff trotteris one of the purest gaited animals in existence. Even inraces you see none of the boots and rigging so commonlyused upon our own trotters. They travel with their legswell under them, never sprawling behind, and with moreaction than we are accustomed to
. In joyful Russia. Count Orlofl was the originator of this practice,although his instrument was evidently a crude , the method he employed to develop the speed inhis animals, and to fix it when developed, is exactly theone adopted at the present day by the best and most suc-cessful trainers of trotters in America. The Orloff trotteris one of the purest gaited animals in existence. Even inraces you see none of the boots and rigging so commonlyused upon our own trotters. They travel with their legswell under them, never sprawling behind, and with moreaction than we are accustomed to see upon our tracks. Thatthe Kussians have succeeded in developing extreme speed,while retaining form and size in their animals, is evidencedby the records they make, which equal, or nearly so, thoseof American trotters. I was very fortunate during myvisit to Moscow in witnessing trotting races in which bothEussian and American horses participated, and which Ishall describe in another chapter. The colour of the Or-. RUSSIAN HORSES. 213 loff varies, being black, bay, chestnut, brown, and gray;but I believe many of the purest breed are of the lastcolour. This was, however, naturally very unpopular, andthe use of many of the best animals and strains of bloodcame near being discontinued several years ago on accountof it, when, the matter being brought to the attention ofthe Emperor, he ordered that all the horses purchasedfor use in the imperial stables should be white. Many ofthe aristocracy quickly imitated the Emperor, and thusthe very best of the Orloff blood was saved from beingirretrievably lost. The OrlofE trotter is not only the light harness racehorse of Eussia, but almost the only carriage animal usedthere. During the mild weather the Eussians use a lightvictoria, drawn by a pair of Orloffs, and drive at a furiouspace. It is common to see these vehicles flying throughthe city streets at a much faster than a three-minute iron limbs these animals must necessarily
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