a breed of trotting and pacing, usually sporting, horses. It was developed in the United States in the middle of the 19th century by complex crossbreeding of saddle breeds (Thoroughbred riding and Arab) and trotting breeds (Norfolk and Dutch), as well as pacers of various origins. In the United States the American Trotter is recognized as standard. It has a light, lean body and is extremely varied in external appearance. Its coloring can be bay, dark bay, black, gray, or chestnut. The height at the withers is 153 to 157 cm, the oblique body length is 154 to 158 cm, the circumference of the chest is 170 to 185 cm, and the circumference of the shank is 18 to 20 cm. The liveweight is 360 to 450 kg. The American Trotter holds the world speed record of 1 mile in one minute, 55.25 seconds for trotting and in one minute, 53.6 seconds for pacing.
The American Trotter is raised in the United States, Canada, Italy, Sweden, and other countries. It was introduced into Russia at the end of the 19th century, and since then has been crossed with the Orlov (Orel) Trotter to produce the Russian Trotter.