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Standardbred
History
| The origins of the Standardbred and the modern history of harness racing date back a bit more than 200 years, when Messenger, a Thoroughbred born in England in 1780, was exported to the US. This stallion apparently not only showed more stamina and determination than other Thoroughbreds in his time, but also possessed a rapid and smooth trot. The ancestors of the Standardbred include Thoroughbreds, Norfolk Trotters, Morgans and Narragansett Pacers. The name 'Standardbred' itself originated from a standard set by the National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders in 1879. A horse was required to trot a mile (1609m) in at least the standard time of 2min 30sec to be included in the official register of the new breed. The earliest harness races were run in trot, pacers and pace races only developed later. |  Harness
Racing (courtesy of the Qld
Harness Racing Board)
|
Characteristics
 Henna (race
name Paint Brush)
|
The
Standardbred is bred for speed and speed only, therefore the breed
isn't very uniform in type and conformation, with sizes ranging from
140 to 170cm (14 to 17
hands). Most Standardbreds are bay or black, although other colours
and even the odd paint
one does occur. They are intelligent, willing,
tolerant and easy going - nothing like the high strung racehorse you'd
expect. Standardbreds
are famous
for their good bone, well muscled hind quarters and tough hooves. They posses
great athletic ability and
endurance, but are also extremely versatile. In the US, Standardbreds are popular in racking competitions, and over the last few years quite a few 'Speed Racking Champion' titles went to horses of this breed. |
Gaits
| Since Standardbreds are bred
for harness races (pace or
trot), not for
their four-beat gaits, no breed
specific names have evolved for their gaits. In the US, their even
four-beat is usually called rack, a term 'borrowed' from Saddlebreds. In general,
you will find pretty much
the whole spectrum of four-beat gaits in Standardbreds, from stepping
pace to rack to foxtrot. Rack: As mentioned above, the rack is an even four-beat that varies in speed from walk speed (slow rack) to gallop speed. However, not many horses can hold a true rack with four even beats at this high speed. Even in Speed Racking Competitions the gait shown is often a fast Stepping Pace with high knee action. Stepping Pace: Stepping Pace can be described as a broken pace which is usually performed at a low to medium speed. In contrast to the racing pace, the head and neck are held higher and the horse is somewhat more relaxed. Depending on the horse, stepping pace can be very comfortable to ride, or as bad as a racing pace... Pace: Although most fotos of Standardbreds in pace show a four-beat, similar to the flying pace of Icelandics, the Standardbred's pace feels a lot harder than the Icelandic's. Maybe it's the size difference between the two breeds, maybe it's a shorter intervall between the two lateral legs hitting the ground or a more pronounced flight phase - but having experienced both breeds in pace, I know why there are no pace races under saddle in Oz! |
 Henna approaching an even four-beat (rack)....  Henna in stepping pace |
Problems
 carrot stretches |
Standardbreds from the race track
are trained
to go in straight lines, usually with their heads tied up (overchecked)
and their
backs braced. The longer a
horse is trained/raced that way, the more some muscles develop while
others waste away. When starting an ex-racehorse under saddle, the
special need of (re)developing correct muscles and making the back
flexible has to be taken into
account in order to make/keep the horse sound. Please check out the
Training section for more details on that! Carrot stretches are an easy means to stretch and flex the back - if the horse knows that carrots are actually yummie, which is usually not the case with ex-racehorses. Doesn't take them long to figure that one out, though! |
Breeders
in Oz
Harness
racing is big in Australia, and therefore there are plenty of
Standardbred breeders around, from backyard breeders to huge studs.
However, to my best knowledge, there are currently no breeders in
Australia (or New Zealand) who breed Standardbreds specifically for
their four-beat gaits.
In the last couple of years several organisations have been formed to give ex-racehorses another lease on life and save them from being turned into dogfood. While it may be a bit different to train these horses compared to horses that have never been raced (see Problems), it is all the more rewarding - and usually a lot cheaper than buying a horse of any other gaited breed. Most fotos on this page show Henna, an ex-racehorse we adopted in mid 2004 - a gorgeous, inquisitive, unflappable mare with excellent ground manners and loads of character. She has given us so much joy that I count my blessings and thank SAQ every time I look at her!
In the last couple of years several organisations have been formed to give ex-racehorses another lease on life and save them from being turned into dogfood. While it may be a bit different to train these horses compared to horses that have never been raced (see Problems), it is all the more rewarding - and usually a lot cheaper than buying a horse of any other gaited breed. Most fotos on this page show Henna, an ex-racehorse we adopted in mid 2004 - a gorgeous, inquisitive, unflappable mare with excellent ground manners and loads of character. She has given us so much joy that I count my blessings and thank SAQ every time I look at her!
Links
Harness
Racing Australia: http://www.harness.org.au/
Standardbred Pleasure and Performace Horse Association ACT: http://www.geocities.com/sppha_act/
Standardbred Pleasure and Performace Horse Association NSW: http://www.standardbred.org.au
Standardbred Association of Queensland: http://www.geocities.com/spphaq/
Standardbred Pleasure and Performace Horse Association SA: http://www.picknowl.com.au/homepages/spphasa/
Standardbred Pleasure and Performace Horse Association Vic: http://www.spphav.org/
Interessengemeinschaft Töltende Traber: http://www.toeltendetraber.de/ (in German)
Standardbred Pleasure and Performace Horse Association ACT: http://www.geocities.com/sppha_act/
Standardbred Pleasure and Performace Horse Association NSW: http://www.standardbred.org.au
Standardbred Association of Queensland: http://www.geocities.com/spphaq/
Standardbred Pleasure and Performace Horse Association SA: http://www.picknowl.com.au/homepages/spphasa/
Standardbred Pleasure and Performace Horse Association Vic: http://www.spphav.org/
Interessengemeinschaft Töltende Traber: http://www.toeltendetraber.de/ (in German)