Where does the Standardbred get its Origins?
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 contributed foundation stock to the Standardbred breed included the Narragansett Pacer and the Canadian Pacer, English Thoroughbreds, the Norfolk Trotter, the Hackney, and the Morgan. Breeders selected bloodlines that would produce the fastest horses, with one of the most notable sires being the grey English Thoroughbred stallion Messenger, who was exported to the United States in 1788. He produced both runners and trotters. Messenger’s descendant, the legendary Hambletonian 10, also known as Rydysk’s Hambletonian, was born in 1849. He was sold for the grand total of 125 Pounds, his owners thinking he was ‘worthless’. He would later become one of the most prolific sires of Standardbreds today, with nearly every trotter or pacer tracing its lineage back to
