| HOW THE STANDARDBRED BEGAN The Standardbred - America's Horse! Like many American breeds the Standardbred is a melting pot of bloodlines. Its roots date back to the New England colonists of the 1600s and the English and Dutch horses they crossed. Some suspect a Spanish influence, as well. The result was a compact, stout, durable mount that could be ridden long distances in comfort. Though their gait was historically referred to as a "pace", the element of comfort belies it as more likely a broken pace or other soft saddle gait. Many of these horses, averaging only a little over 14 hands, were bred in Canada and shipped south. Once established in 1636, Rhode Island quickly became the horse capital of New England and the best pacers were bought, sold and bred there. Racing became popular and the breeding of swift horses became a profitable venture. In time these horses became the most popular saddle mounts and harness horses of the colonies. Though not particularly good-looking, they were surefooted, dependable, fast and comfortable to ride. Named for the Narragansett Bay, near which breeding centered, the Narragansett Pacers were the mount of choice for nearly 150 years. When the English Thoroughbred, MESSENGER, was imported to Philadelphia in 1788, shortly after the American Revolution, he sparked a revolution of his own in horse breeding. His sire, MAMBRINO, had been a star galloping racehorse in 4-mile heats. Crossed with the tough little colonial horses, MESSENGER produced offspring with great action, speed and endurance at the trot. This Thoroughbred influence also added more size and refinement. In 1849 the unlikely birth of his great-grandson, HAMBLETONIAN 10, marked the beginning of a new breed. Hambletonian’s dam, a daughter of a mare named ONE EYE, who was line bred to Messenger, had been crippled in a runaway accident. His sire, ABDULLAH, was best known for his vile temperament. How their offspring became the undisputed foundation sire of sweet natured, swift, sound horses is one of the more pleasant mysteries of life.. But still, it is the heart of the horse that draws new people seeking riding mounts to the breed. |
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