What is a Standardbred?
A. The Standardbred is bred to race in harness on the trot or the pace (a two-beat lateral gait), pulling a light vehicle called a sulky. The breed evolved around the same time as the Morgan, Saddlebred, and Tennessee Walking Horse, and these breeds all share some common roots. The breeds name comes from the fact that a horse had to trot or pace a mile in a standard of time in order to be registered in the original 1871 stud book. Standardbreds range in height from 14.2 hands to 17; most are between 15 and 16 hands and most weigh 950 to 1100 pounds. Many are longer than they are tall, with the rump sometimes slightly higher than the withers.The majority of Standardbreds are bay or brown, but blacks, chestnuts, grays and roans are found as well. White markings on the face and legs are common and range from subtle to flashy. While fierce competitors on the track, they are intelligent, calm and willing to please, making them ideal for pursuits off the track. Depending on conformation, apt
The origins of the Standardbred trace back to Messenger, an English Thoroughbred foaled in 1780, and later exported to the United States. Messenger was the great-grandsire of Hambletonian 10, to whom every Standardbred can trace its heritage. Standardbreds are a relatively new breed, dating back just over 200 years, but it is a true American breed. The name “Standardbred” originated because the early trotters (pacers would not come into the picture until much later) were required to reach a certain standard for the mile distance in order to be registered as part of the new breed. The mile is still the standard distance covered in nearly every harness race. While Thoroughbred racing has long been known as the sport of kings, the dependable, athletic Standardbred brought racing to the common man, first between neighbors on community roads, and later at state-of-the-art racetracks. Standardbred racing has long been known as the sport of the people, and both the sport and the breed are as
