The Standardbred -- A Horse for Racing and Companionship

The Standardbred horse was developed in the United States as a race horse. They are most famous for carriage racing rather than saddle racing like Thoroughbreds. Trotting races were first held in the 17th century. These races were originally held in grass but made their way to official race courses with the horses sporting harnesses. There were a variety of different horses that were bred together to produce this particular breed. They include the Narragansett Pacer, Canadian Pacer, Norfolk Trotter, Thoroughbred, Hackney and the Morgan. The crossbreeding resulted in this new breed as we know it today.

While this breed is compared to the Thoroughbred, they are longer in body and feature more muscle than the Thoroughbred. Their disposition is placid and trainable. They enjoy spending time with their handlers and like meeting challenges. Their height ranges from 14 to 17 hands. The coat is most always brown or black. Other colors are not uncommon but are not seen as often as the brown or black coloration. There may be some white coloration on the nose. This breed of horse comes in two varieties -- trotters and pacers.

The trotter prefers to race at a trotting pace as its name suggests. Pacers have a pace gait which means the forelegs and hindlegs move in unison. These horses can also of course perform all the other common horse gaits such as walking, cantering and galloping. Pacers can of course be taught to trot, and sometimes trotters can be taught to pace. If you are interested in buying or breeding this type of horse, some education is in order. Breeding horses takes more than just a stallion and a mare. There is a practice called selective breeding where sire and dams are chosen for their characteristics to produce a foal with certain traits.

There are various programs devoted to this breed including the American Standardbred Adoption Program. This program helps place former racehorses with homes as companion animals. If breeding horses is what you want to do, you should consider reading some books on the general subject of horse breeding. Some titles to consider include: The Horse Conformation Handbook by Heather Smith Thomas, The Foal is the Goal by Tena Bastian and Racehorse Breeding Theories by Frank J. Mitchell and Steven A. Roman.



Horse Breeding News:
Thoroughbred facility seeks bankruptcy protection
FORT EDWARD -- A horse farm specializing in thoroughbred breeding is seeking bankruptcy protection, according to court documents...


Rural Report for Gippsland and South East NSW: Monday, January 23, 2011 - ABC Online

Rural Report for Gippsland and South East NSW: Monday, January 23, 2011
ABC Online
You may have seen the movie war horse which came out this summer. The thoroughbred stallion featured in the film is just one of many types of horses bred for the battlefield. The Friesian horse, which is a big, black animal with feathered feet, .

and more »
..

Twin horses are born of eggs from mom killed in Windsor twister, thanks to CSU - Denver Post

Twin horses are born of eggs from mom killed in Windsor twister, thanks to CSU
Denver Post
"Triumph over tragedy," said the Colorado State University professor who engineered the births of horse-breeding's "miracle twins." A chill and the scent of manure was on the breeze outside the stables orphaned by a fire in July that destroyed the .
Dozens of Horse Owners Mull Legal Action After CSU Lab FireKUNC

all 3 news articles »
..


Philippe Barbe will help organise a new operational plan - The National

The National
Philippe Barbe will help organise a new operational plan
The National
Trainer Philippe Barbe will help Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed organise the operation of his horse breeding and training stables, which stretch from the UAE to Europe. ABU DHABI // Plans are in place to bring Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed's breeding operation in .

..


Filly Havre de Grace wins Horse of the Year
Filly Havre de Grace brought Larry Jones and Rick Porter back together in 2011, reuniting a trainer and owner who had endured tragedy three years earlier when filly Eight Belles fatally broke down after finishing second in the Kentucky Derby. Havre de Grace (HA'-vur-duh-grays) restored fun to racing again for the duo after Jones had retired in 2010, forcing Porter to find another trainer...


Racing industry backs casino games in Kentucky
By RANDY PATRICK Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) EUR Racing industry spokesmen have told a House committee that Kentuckys horse industry is in crisis and casino-style gambling at race tracks could help it...


Some seized Sabine horses showing recovery - Shreveport Times

Some seized Sabine horses showing recovery
Shreveport Times
Volunteers help load a colt, seized earlier this month from a Sabine Parish horse breeder, for its trip to a new foster home at Old River Farms in Natchitoches Parish. / Special to The Times The Sabine Humane Society is still footing the bills for food .

and more »
..


Arabian horse farms open for tours in Scottsdale
The annual Arabian Farm Tours through Scottsdale begins Thursday and continues until Sunday...


Horse training runs in the blood
The steady EURclip-clopEUR of horses hooves resonates off the empty grandstand seats of the Ashtabula County Fairgrounds half-mile track...


Horse breeders organize to sue Colorado State University over lab-fire losses
Some horse owners are threatening to sue over a July fire at Colorado State University's Equine Reproduction Laboratory that destroyed valuable horse semen, embryos and eggs that they trusted the school to safely store...


Twin horses are born of eggs from mom killed in Windsor twister, thanks to CSU
Dr. Patrick McCue crossed his arms and smiled at the twin quarter horses born to surrogate mothers. "Triumph over tragedy," said the Colorado State University professor who engineered the births of horse-breeding's "miracle twins."..




Train Your Horse & Cure Bad Habits


Technorati Tags: , ,