Standardbred

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Standardbred
Standardbred Hunter.jpg
First Class Lady - Tapio Perttunen.jpg
Other names
  • STB
  • American Standardbred [1] :436
  • American Trotter [1] :503
Country of originUnited States
Traits
Distinguishing featuresWell-muscled, long body, slightly heavier than a Thoroughbred, solid legs and powerful shoulders and hindquarters; able to trot or pace at speed for racing.
Breed standards

The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing where they compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace its bloodlines to 18th-century England. They are solid, well-built horses with good dispositions.

Contents

Characteristics

A standardbred Excellentlove.png
A standardbred

Standardbreds are generally well-muscled and similar to, but a bit heavier than, a Thoroughbred, with a large head often with a Roman nose profile, straight neck, sloping shoulder, defined withers, a deep girth, strong bone (legs) and hard feet. Standardbreds average 15 to 16  hands (60 to 64 inches, 152 to 163 cm) and typically weigh between 800 and 1,000 pounds (360 and 450 kg). They are most often bay, and less frequently brown, black, chestnut, gray or roan. Standardbreds are considered easy-to-train horses with a willing submissive nature. [2]

Gaits

Standardbreds race either at a trot or pace. In the trot, the horse's legs move in diagonal pairs; when the right foreleg moves forward, so does the left hind leg, and vice versa. In the pace each foreleg moves in unison with the hind leg on the same side. However, the breed is able to perform other horse gaits, including the canter, though this gait is penalized in harness racing. [3]

A racing pacer without hopples (straps to discourage trotting) Lawn Derby (AUS).jpg
A racing pacer without hopples (straps to discourage trotting)

Pacers still retain the ability to trot and do so regularly; however, they are labeled by the gait they race at. Additionally, some trotters are able to pace, but prefer to race at the trot. Today's Standardbreds race in the same gait for their whole career, with rare exception. And although the gaits are similar, the pace is faster than the trot. [4]

Today's Standardbreds are commonly bred trotters to trotters, and pacers to pacers. [5] Although it is possible for trotters to produce a pacer, these gait-specific breeding practices are causing Standardbreds to differentiate into two subpopulations based on gait, more distinct than some breeds. [5] [6]

The ability to pace is linked to a single-point mutation in gene DMRT3, which is expressed in the I6 subdivision of spinal cord neurons; this area is responsible for coordinating the locomotor network controlling limb movements. The point mutation causes early termination of the gene by coding for a stop codon, thus altering the function of this transcription factor. [7] Uniquely, both pacing and trotting American Standardbreds are fixed for the DMRT3 variant. [8] This suggest that there is at least one additional genetic variant that controls trotting and pacing in Standardbreds. However, European Standardbreds are not yet fixed for this DMRT3 variant, although homozygous individuals have better performance records. [8] [9]

Orthopedic diseases

Osteochondrosis (OC), osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD), and other related developmental orthopedic diseases (DOD) appear at a high frequency in Standardbreds. [10] OC/OCD is a moderate to highly heritable condition in Standardbreds and similar breeds, and genetic risk factors have been identified. [11] [12] These findings suggest that a change in breeding practices could lower the prevalence within the breed; however, lesions may resolve on their own or can be surgically corrected.

Breed history

Hambletonian 10 Hambletonian10.jpg
Hambletonian 10

In the 17th century, the first trotting races were held in the Americas, usually in fields on horses under saddle. However, by the mid-18th century, trotting races were held on official courses, with the horses in harness. Breeds that have contributed foundation stock to the Standardbred breed included the Narragansett Pacer, Canadian Pacer, Thoroughbred, Norfolk Trotter, Hackney, and Morgan.

The foundation bloodlines of the Standardbred trace to a Thoroughbred foaled in England in 1780 named Messenger. [3] He was a gray stallion imported to the United States in 1788. He sired a number of flat racing horses, but was best known for his great-grandson, Hambletonian 10, also known as Rysdyk's Hambletonian, foaled in 1849 and considered the foundation sire of the breed and from whom all Standardbreds descend. [13] Hambletonian 10 was out of a dam with Norfolk Trotter breeding, and the mare and foal were purchased by William Rysdyk, a farm hand from New York state, who successfully raced the colt as a three-year-old against other horses. The horse went on to sire 1,331 offspring, 40 of whom trotted a mile in under 2 minutes 30 seconds. [14]

Dan Patch, a significant Standardbred pacing sire, c. 1900 Danpatch1.jpg
Dan Patch, a significant Standardbred pacing sire, c.1900

Another influential sire was the Thoroughbred Diomed, born in 1777. Diomed's Thoroughbred grandson American Star, foaled in 1822, was influential in the development of the breed through the mares of his progeny by American Star 14 being bred to Hambletonian 10. [15] [16] [17] [18] When the sport started to gain popularity, more selective breeding was done to produce the faster harness trotter.

The first national Standardbred breed registry was formed in United States in 1879 by the National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders. [14] The name arose due to the "standard" required of breeding stock, to be able to trot or pace a mile within a certain time limit. [3] Every Standardbred had to be able to trot a mile in less than two minutes and 30 seconds. [19] Today, many Standardbreds are faster than this original standard, [20] with several pacing the mile within 1 min, 50 sec, and trotters only a few seconds slower than pacers. Slightly different bloodlines are found in trotters than in pacers, though both can trace their heritage back to Hambletonian 10.

At the foundation of the United States Trotting Association in 1939, a closed stud book was proposed. The studbook was not officially closed until 1973, however, it is likely that it was effectively closed prior. [6] In 2009, in an effort to reduce the loss of genetic diversity within the breed, the United States Trotting Association capped the studbook for all new sires to 140 mares per year. [21] [6] This went into effect immediately for trotting stallions, and gradually for pacing stallions. [21] [6]

Uses

Standardbreds are primarily used for driving and most start their lives headed to the race track.

Harness racing

Standardbreds are known for their skill in harness racing, being the fastest trotting horses in the world. Because of their speed, Standardbreds are often used to upgrade other breeds of harness racers around the world, such as the Orlov Trotter and French Trotter. In Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, races are held for both trotters and pacers. In continental Europe, all harness races are conducted between trotters. In 1968, New Zealand-bred Cardigan Bay became the first Standardbred horse ever to win US$1 million, and the ninth horse to do so worldwide—the first eight were Thoroughbreds. [22]

Post-racing careers

Standardbred pulling an Amish buggy Amish Horse and Buggy on Cold Day (50886645158).jpg
Standardbred pulling an Amish buggy

The Amish have been purchasing off-the-track Standardbreds for a long time, and almost all Amish horses were first trained in the racing industry. A horse may have become too slow for racing, but it is not too slow for pulling a buggy. Standardbreds have an easy-going nature and readily take to such an environment. By purchasing ex-racehorses, the Amish don't need to have breeding programs or raise young horses—there is a ready supply of mature and trained horses. [23] [24]

There are other organizations, such as the Standardbred Pleasure Horse Organization, working to find new homes and uses for retired racing Standardbreds. However, in order to make a good riding horse, some of the harness race training must be undone. For example, getting a Standardbred to canter might be difficult since they have been rebuked for cantering for years. [25] [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harness racing</span> A form of horse racing that uses a two-wheeled cart

Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait. They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia and New Zealand, races with jockeys riding directly on saddled trotters are also conducted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horse gait</span> Ways of movement of equines

Horses can use various gaits during locomotion across solid ground, either naturally or as a result of specialized training by humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan horse</span> Breed of horse

The Morgan horse is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the foundation sire Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, as well as mares of the now-extinct Narragansett Pacer breed, Morgans served many roles in 19th-century American history, being used as coach horses and for harness racing, as general riding animals, and as cavalry horses during the American Civil War on both sides of the conflict. Morgans have influenced other major American breeds, including the American Quarter Horse, the American Saddlebred, the Tennessee Walking Horse, and the Standardbred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Saddlebred</span> American horse breed

The American Saddlebred is a horse breed from the United States. This breed is 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 around the world, with separate breed registries established in Great Britain, Australia, continental Europe, and southern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hackney horse</span> Breed of horse

The Hackney is a recognized breed of horse that was developed in Great Britain. In recent decades, the breeding of the Hackney has been directed toward producing horses that are ideal for carriage driving. They are an elegant high stepping breed of carriage horse that is popular for showing in harness events. Hackneys possess good stamina, and are capable of trotting at high speed for extended periods of time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narragansett Pacer</span> First horse breed developed in the US

The Narragansett Pacer was one of the first recorded horse breeds developed in the United States. It emerged in the 18th century (1700s), and was theorized to have been bred from a mix of English and Spanish breeds, although the exact cross is unknown. The Pacer was associated with, and bred in, the state of Rhode Island and the area of New England; as horse breeding shifted to Kentucky and Tennessee in the late 1700s, it became extinct by the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Messenger (horse)</span> Late 18th century Thoroughbred stallion

Messenger was an English Thoroughbred stallion imported into the newly formed United States of America just after the American Revolution. He is most famous for being the great-grandsire of Hambletonian 10, the father of all American Standardbred horses. Though he did not have a long racing career himself, he was a common ancestor in many successful racing horses into the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambling gait</span> Horse gait

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. q11¼ The ability to perform an ambling gait is usually an inherited trait. In 2012, a DNA study found that horses from several gaited and harness racing breeds carried a mutation on the gene DMRT3, which controls the spinal neurological circuits related to limb movement and motion. In 2014, that mutation was found to originate in a single ancestor to all gaited horses. Some gaited breeds naturally perform these gaits from birth, others need to be trained to do them. Some breeds have individuals who can both amble and perform a trot or pace. In the Standardbred breed, the DMRT3 gene was also found in trotting horses, suggesting that it inhibits the ability to transition into a canter or gallop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hambletonian 10</span> Standardbred foundation sire

Hambletonian 10, or Rysdyk's Hambletonian, was an American trotter and a founding sire of the Standardbred horse breed. The stallion was born in Sugar Loaf, New York, on 5 May 1849. Hambletonian has been inducted into the Immortals category of the Harness Racing Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harness racing in Australia</span>

Harness racing, also colloquially known as trotting or the trots, is a spectator sport in Australia, with significant amounts of money wagered annually with bookmakers and the Totalisator Agency Board (TAB). In Australia there are 90 harness racing tracks, which hold over 1,900 meetings annually. There are approximately 2,900 drivers and 4,000 trainers with about 5,000 Standardbred horses foaled and registered each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orlov Trotter</span> Russian breed of horse

The Orlov Trotter is a horse breed with a hereditary fast trot, noted for its outstanding speed and stamina. It is the most famous Russian horse. The breed was developed in Russia in the late 18th century by Count Alexei Orlov at his Khrenovskoy stud farm near the town of Bobrov. The Orlovs emerged as the result of crossing various European mares with Arabian stallions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Warmblood</span> Type of horse

The American Warmblood is a horse of warmblood type, intended primarily for the traditional sport horse disciplines of dressage, show jumping, eventing and combined driving.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanover Shoe Farms</span>

Hanover Shoe Farms, Inc. is a North American Standardbred horse breeding facilities. Its history traces back to the early 1900s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfolk Trotter</span> Breed of horse

The Norfolk Trotter is a historical horse breed once native to East Anglia and Norfolk, England. It was said to be "a large-sized trotting harness horse originating in and around Norfolk".

Breed = Standartbred , Sire = Andover Hall , Grandsire = Garland Lobell , Sex = Stallion , Foaled = 2004 , Country = United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French Trotter</span> French breed of trotting horse

The French Trotter is a French breed of trotting horse bred for racing both ridden and in harness. It was bred specifically for racing in the 19th century (1800s), principally in Normandy in north-western France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glossary of equestrian terms</span> List of definitions of terms and concepts related to horses

This is a basic glossary of equestrian terms that includes both technical terminology and jargon developed over the centuries for horses and other equidae, as well as various horse-related concepts. Where noted, some terms are used only in American English (US), only in British English (UK), or are regional to a particular part of the world, such as Australia (AU).

Dan Gernatt Farms is a dairy farming, and horse breeding and racing enterprise, located in the Western New York town of Collins. Daniel R. Gernatt, Sr. and Flavia C. (Schmitz) Gernatt co-owned and established Dan Gernatt Farms in 1938. They built up their farming business, being recognized in the 1950s as having the largest milking dairy herd in Erie County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Allan (horse)</span> Foundation sire of the Tennessee Walking Horse

Black Allan or Allan F-1 was the foundation sire of the Tennessee Walking Horse. He was out of a Morgan and Thoroughbred cross mare named Maggie Marshall, a descendant of Figure and the Thoroughbred racing stallion Messenger; and sired by Allandorf, a Standardbred stallion descended from Hambletonian 10, also of the Messenger line.

References

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