Imperator (horse)

Imperator
Breed	American Saddlebred
Discipline	Five-gaited
Sire	Supreme Sultan
Dam	Empress Wing
Maternal grandsire	Wing Commander
Sex	Gelding
Foaled	March 11, 1974
Color	Dark chestnut
Major wins
	Five-Gaited World's Grand Champion: ; 1980, 1981, 1985, and 1986; Five-Gaited Grand Champion:; 1980–1984; Five-Gaited Champion Gelding:; 1979, 1980–83, 1985, 1986, 1988;

Last updated April 09, 2019

Imperator (1974–1997) was an American Saddlebred show horse. He won four Five-Gaited World's Grand Championships and eight Gelding Championships at the World's Championship Horse Show, besides four five-gaited Grand Championships at the National Horse Show. He retired to the Kentucky Horse Park after the end of his show career and when he died was buried there.

The American Saddlebred is a horse breed from the United States. This breed was referred to as the "Horse America Made". Descended from riding-type horses bred at the time of the American Revolution, the American Saddlebred includes the Narragansett Pacer, Canadian Pacer, Morgan and Thoroughbred among its ancestors. Developed into its modern type in Kentucky, it was once known as the "Kentucky Saddler", and used extensively as an officer's mount in the American Civil War. In 1891, a breed registry was formed in the United States. Throughout the 20th century, the breed's popularity continued to grow in the United States, and exports began to South Africa and Great Britain. Since the formation of the US registry, almost 250,000 American Saddlebreds have been registered, and can now be found in countries around the world, with separate breed registries established in Great Britain, Australia, continental Europe, and southern Africa.

The National Horse Show is the oldest continually held horse show in the United States. It was founded in 1883 in New York and held there until 2002, when it moved to Florida and then to Kentucky.

Life

Imperator was foaled March 11, 1974, out of Empress Wing and by Supreme Sultan. He was born on Peacock Farm in Wilmette, Illinois. His damsire^{[lower-alpha 1]} was Wing Commander, the first six-time five-gaited World Grand Champion. Imperator was a dark chestnut gelding who was nicknamed "Perry". After his show career, he retired to the Kentucky Horse Park ^[1]^[2] in August 1991 and died there October 20, 1997, of complications following colic surgery.^[3] He is buried at the park in the Hall of Champions.^[4]

Supreme Sultan was an American Saddlebred stallion. He was a chestnut, and was sired by Valley View Supreme, out of Melody Olee. Sultan was sold to Barlite Farms as a yearling, was shown as a 2-year-old, but then repurchased and returned to Ruxer Farms. During his lifetime, he sired multiple champion offspring in nearly every division of American Saddlebred horse show competition and set leading sire records. Noted for his refinement and action, his impact as a sire modernized the Saddlebred breed in both the United States and South Africa. As a result of his influence on the breed, at his death he was buried at Kentucky Horse Park and a bronze statue of him stands atop his grave.

Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. Bordering Lake Michigan, it is located 14 miles (23 km) north of Chicago's downtown district and had a population at the 2010 census of 27,087. In 2007, Wilmette was ranked as the seventh best place to raise children in the U.S., according to Business Week. In 2015, Wilmette was ranked the best place to live in the state of Illinois based on a variety of factors including its low unemployment rate, median income, low housing vacancy rate, high education expenditures per student, low crime, and short commute times. Wilmette is home to 2 of Illinois' 17 elementary schools to be awarded the 2017 National Blue Ribbon award.

Wing Commander (1943–1969) was an American Saddlebred show horse out of the mare Flirtation Walk and by the stallion Anacacho Shamrock. Wing Commander was a chestnut with four white socks and a white star on his forehead. He was trained to be a five-gaited horse, meaning he performed the walk, trot, canter, slow gait and rack. Through both sides of his pedigree, Wing Commander traced back to the highly influential Saddlebred stallions Rex McDonald and Bourbon King, who were themselves successful show horses. In 1948, the stallion won his first Five-Gaited World Grand Championship, a title he kept for a total of six years. In total he won 6 Five-Gaited World Grand Championships, and was the first of only two horses to accomplish this. In 1950 Life magazine featured Wing Commander as an example of a fine athlete and an American Idol. He was owned by Dodge Stables, and trained and ridden by Earl Teater. Wing Commander stood at stud at Castleton Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, and died at the age of 29.

Career

Imperator won four five-gaited World Grand Championships at the World's Championship Horse Show, in 1980, 1981, 1985, and 1986;^[5] when he won it for the last time, at age 12, he became the oldest horse to win the title. He also won the five-gaited Gelding Championship at the same show in 1979, 1980–83, 1985, 1986, and 1988, setting the record for the most times an individual horse won the title.^[3] In 1983, he competed there against Sky Watch, a duel which became legendary in the Saddlebred industry.^[6] Imperator also won the five-gaited Grand Championship at the National Horse Show from 1980–1984. He was trained by four different trainers, and owned by several owners throughout his career.^[3] Imperator was known for having a fourteen-foot long natural tail and for being eager to show;^[3] he was also said to be excellent at the slow gait. He was never beaten in a gelding class at the World's Championship Horse Show.^[4] His lifetime earnings were approximately US $85,000, not counting silver trophies.^[3]

For the plant horsetail see Equisetum.

An ambling gait or amble is any of several four-beat intermediate horse gaits, all of which are faster than a walk but usually slower than a canter and always slower than a gallop. Horses that amble are sometimes referred to as "gaited," particularly in the United States. Ambling gaits are smoother for a rider than either the two-beat trot or pace and most can be sustained for relatively long periods, making them particularly desirable for trail riding and other tasks where a rider must spend long periods in the saddle. Historically, horses able to amble were highly desired for riding long distances on poor roads. Once roads improved and carriage travel became popular, their use declined in Europe but continued in popularity in the Americas, particularly in areas where plantation agriculture was practiced and the inspection of fields and crops necessitated long daily rides.

Notes

↑ In horse parlance, damsire is the correct term for maternal grandfather

Related Research Articles

Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm and an educational theme park opened in 1978 in Lexington, Kentucky. It is located off Kentucky State Highway 1973 and Interstate 75, at Exit 120, in northern Fayette County in the United States. The equestrian facility is a 1,224-acre (4.95 km²) park dedicated to "man's relationship with the horse." Open to the public, the park has a twice daily Horses of the World Show, showcasing both common and rare horses from around the globe. The horses are ridden in authentic costume. Each year the park is host to a number of special events and horse shows.

The World's Championship Horse Show, held at the Kentucky State Fairgrounds in Louisville, Kentucky, in Freedom Hall, is a large horse show that includes the American Saddlebred, Hackney pony, and Standardbred breeds. It is usually held annually in late August, coinciding with the dates of the Kentucky State Fair and in the middle of the show season for the three breeds. Any horse or rider who wins there earns the title of World's Champion, and a second-place finish is identified with a Reserve World's Championship title. In addition to the WC and RWC titles, a horse can also earn the World's Grand Championship (WGC) or World's Championship of Champions (WCC) title. The winner of a championship class which requires a qualifier is given one of these titles.

Harlem Globetrotter (1980-2012) was an American Saddlebred stallion who won nine World Championships and also became a successful sire.

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A Celebration of Horses: The American Saddlebred was a half-hour television special about the American Saddlebred horse breed. As a pilot episode, it was scheduled for four national releases from November 1993 to October 1995 on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States on 56 regional affiliates, and was also broadcast into Canada. The program starred actor and horse enthusiast William Shatner. Most of the segments were taped on location with Shatner at his Belle Reve Farm, and at the Lexington Junior League Horse Show in Lexington, Kentucky.

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Earl Teater (1905/06-1972) was an American Saddlebred horse trainer. He was best known for showing the stallion Wing Commander to six World's Grand Championships, although he later won another World's Grand Championship on Waltz Dream.

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References

↑ "America's Horses" . Retrieved March 26, 2016.
↑ "The Whole Horse Catalog" . Retrieved March 26, 2016.
1 2 3 4 5 "Kentucky Horse Park :: CH Imperator* :: Lexington, KY" . Retrieved March 25, 2016.
1 2 Kentucky Horse Park. "Bio of Imperator" . Retrieved March 25, 2016.
↑ "Kentucky's Saddlebred Heritage" . Retrieved March 26, 2016.
↑ "Dinner with Mitch Clark at Windy Hill Farm : The Saddle Horse Report" . Retrieved March 25, 2016.

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[1] In horse parlance, damsire is the correct term for maternal grandfather

[2] "America's Horses" . Retrieved March 26, 2016.

[3] "The Whole Horse Catalog" . Retrieved March 26, 2016.

[kyhorsepark.com-4] 1 2 3 4 5 "Kentucky Horse Park :: CH Imperator* :: Lexington, KY" . Retrieved March 25, 2016.

[Bio-5] 1 2 Kentucky Horse Park. "Bio of Imperator" . Retrieved March 25, 2016.

[6] "Kentucky's Saddlebred Heritage" . Retrieved March 26, 2016.

[7] "Dinner with Mitch Clark at Windy Hill Farm : The Saddle Horse Report" . Retrieved March 25, 2016.