Page:Mexico in 1827 Vol 2.djvu/330

314 of the hind quarter, is hardly moved in his seat, while the horse before appears to be going at a trot, and does in fact move at nearly the same rate. A good passo horse will perform, with ease to himself, six miles in the hour, and will hold this pace over good ground for several successive leagues. I had one, known in Mexico by the name of the Mascarillo, (from a peculiar white mark on one side of the head) whose passo was so rapid as to keep any other horse nearly at a gallop: when at his full speed he was thought to move at the rate of ten or eleven miles in the hour, but this was an exertion which he could not sustain for any length of time. A more ordinary passo varies from four to six miles in the hour, seldom exceeding the one, or falling much short of the other. I never had above two of the first kind, one of which was a little brown horse which Mrs. Ward used to ride, the other a favourite of my own, a Rosillo, (or Roan) very fast, and with legs like a deer, but with such courage that he performed all my journeys with less injury to himself than others apparently of three times his strength. Dr. Wilson had a third of clumsier make, but an equally good passo, and it was curious to see with what ease these three creatures went over the ground, while all the rest of the horses were wearied out with their efforts to keep up with them. Passo horses of this description are valuable, and will sell, in any part of the country, for one hundred and fifty or two hundred dollars, (30l. or 40l.) while a trŏtōn, or trotting horse