PART 3
From the expanse of green plantations to icy mountain tops, these superlative riding horses have established themselves as the epitome in traveling pleasure. Their marvelous gait gives the rider a sensation of floating along. They are the Cadillacs of horses, being especially talented for incredibly smooth action. Some are small and discreet, while others are tall and flashy. Each has its own unique style of gaiting, whether it is calculated synchronized steps, or huge rhythmical strides that it them swiftly across the ground. All have the characteristic gliding movement that is a treasure to anyone who has ever sat on a horse. They provide the amateur with a comfortable, secure ride, and the expert with the thrill of a lifetime.
American Saddlebred Horse Association
4083 Iron Works Parkway
Lexington, Kentucky 40511
www.asha.net
During the Middle Ages, when traveling within the British Isles was an arduous task, sturdy little horses with a lateral gait offered riders a modicum of comfort while negotiating difficult roads. In Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, they were generically called “palfreys,” but in fact the horses were named after the various locations of their supposed sources. Most notable were the Hobby horses from Ireland and the Scottish Galloways.
These hardy horses found their way into other countries. Some were transported to Iceland by the Vikings, who often sailed from the northwestern coasts of England and Ireland around 874 to 930 AD. Today, the horses of Iceland are known as the Icelandic horse, a breed noted for a very fast and pure rack called the tölt.
In the United States, Hobby and Galloway horses brought from the British Isles helped produce what is known today as the American Saddlebred. The Saddlebred has a long and proud history—from the legacy of its service on Gettysburg’s battlefield, to the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, it helped establish a nation. The creation of man and nature in concert, the American Saddlebred is truly “the Horse America Made.”
Foundation Breeds
When British colonists brought their naturally gaited Hobby and Galloway horses to North America, the horses thrived and became part of the base foundation for the American Saddlebred. Through selective breeding and improved nutrition by breeders in Rhode Island and Virginia, superior animals were developed. Called Narragansett Pacers, after Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay, they became the most popular mounts in the colonies. (Legend has it that Paul Revere rode a Narragansett Pacer on his famous ride.) As a major commercial product, Narragansett Pacers developed along the eastern seaboard, and thousands were sold to Canada and the Caribbean islands.
At the same time in England, the need for riding horses was reduced when roads began to improve. Horse racing then became a passion with British royalty, who imported Arabian, Barb, and Turkish stallions to cross on native Hobby and Galloway mares, which founded the Thoroughbred breed. The first Thoroughbreds were imported to the American colonies in 1706 and crossed with the native stock, mostly Narragansett Pacers. The prolific use of Narragansetts to produce Thoroughbreds, combined with their heavy export by Spanish colonists to the Caribbean islands, led to the extinction of pure Narragansett Pacers, but they left their remarkable easy gait in their progeny.
By the time of the American Revolutionary War, an all-purpose riding horse, commonly called the “American Horse,” was recognized as a definite type. These animals retained the easy gaits and stamina of the Narragansett Pacers, but also had the Thoroughbred’s size and quality.
As a Breed
The American Horse was first documented in a 1776 letter to the Continental Congress from a U.S. diplomat in France, who wanted one to give as a gift to Marie Antoinette. Thus the Saddlebred type was recognized as an established breed.
As the United States developed, the American Horse went west with pioneers. In Kentucky, horsemen continued to add Thoroughbred blood to their easy-gaited horses, developing a larger, prettier, all-purpose animal, and initiated the presence of the American Saddlebred as a breed. Kentucky’s commercial breeders sold horses throughout the fledgling nation.
The long neck, close-set ears, and expressive eyes all characterize the Saddlebred. Chris Larson
In 1839, the Thoroughbred son of imported Hedgeford, (also named Denmark), was foaled in Kentucky. Bred to a naturally gaited mare, he sired Gaines’ Denmark, the stallion that established the Denmark family of American Saddlebreds. More than 60 percent of the horses in the first three registry volumes of the American Saddlebred Horse Association can be traced to Gaines’ Denmark.
Harrison Chief was designated as a foundation sire along with Denmark. The Chief family had a similar background, with a dominance of blood coming from the Thoroughbred, Messenger, imported in 1788 and considered one of the foundation sires of the Standardbred breed. Crosses of Morgan, Standardbred, and Hackney also contributed to the American Saddlebred.
By the mid nineteenth century, the American Civil War demonstrated the superiority of Saddlebreds on the march and on the battlefield. Most high-ranking officers in both armies rode Saddlebred types: Robert E. Lee had his Traveler, Ulysses S. Grant was on Cincinnati, William Sherman rode Lexington, and Stonewall Jackson was on Little Sorrell. The first three were American types with close Thoroughbred crosses, while the latter was from pacing stock. Generals John Hunt Morgan and Nathan Bedford Forrest rode American Saddlebreds exclusively. So important were the horses that after the surrender, General Grant allowed Confederate veterans to keep the mounts they owned. In peacetime, the great demand for Saddlebreds enabled the horse industry to recover quickly.
At the Shows
An effective marketing tool for the horse industry during the postwar era was the increased popularity of horse shows as public entertainment. They created structured competition and became organized events with an opportunity for owners to show off their horses. The first exhibition was recorded near Lexington, Kentucky, in 1816, and the sport grew over the years. The first National Horse Show was held at the St. Louis Fair in 1856, where gifted Saddlebreds dominated the competition.
In 1888, the rules for showing Saddlebreds were amended to require that horses be shown at the trot in addition to the “saddle gaits” (rack, running walk, fox trot, and/or slow pace). The term “pace” in the context of a saddle gait did not refer to the speedy, flat pace of today’s Standardbred racehorses, but to a lateral movement such as an amble or single-foot. Gait was the overriding criteria for the development of the breed, and early registrations were based on the ability of a horse to perform the saddle gaits.
In 1891, the American Saddlebred Horse Association was founded in Louisville, Kentucky, and was the first such organization for an American breed of horse. Its name was changed in 1899 to American Saddle-Horse Breeders’ Association, but later was changed back to the former name in 1980 to better describe the association.
Despite the fact that the American Saddlebred was still very much a using animal during the late nineteenth century, the rivalry at horse shows between breeders became intense—especially state pride rivalries between Kentucky and Missouri competitors. Skillful horsemen began making a living at training show horses, and horse shows became the proving ground for quality and type.
Saddlebred Progress
A coal black stallion that was to make a great contribution in status to the shows, but particularly to the Saddlebred breed, burst onto the show scene at St. Louis in 1893. In his illustrious career, the charismatic Rex McDonald was defeated only three times. He was idolized by the public and visited by presidents of the United States.
Another popular Saddlebred was introduced to the breed when an unusual colt of predominantly trotting blood with a dash of Denmark was foaled in 1900 in Kentucky. Bourbon King was sold as a weanling and became a sensation as a five-gaited show stallion, winning the Grand Championship at the old Louisville Horse Show as a three year old. Living to the age of thirty, Bourbon King was the great progenitor of the Chief family.
A Saddlebred is a refined, elegant breed with a distinctively show horse persona. Darlene Wohlart/equinephotography.com
In 1917, the Kentucky State Fair offered the first $10,000 Five-Gaited Stake Class and claimed to be the World’s Championship Horse Show. There had been no bona fide world’s champion since the demise of the old St. Louis Fair around the turn of the century. The American Horse Shows Association (now the U.S. Equestrian Federation) was founded the same year, with a large number of Saddlebred people deeply involved. Through the 1920s, horse shows continued to evolve, with format and rules becoming more standardized.
When motor vehicles diminished the utility of horses, people began looking for another avenue to continue their relationship with the horse. Horse shows fulfilled this need and expanded beyond the southern states to become one of the most popular forms of entertainment, flourishing across the nation. They varied from the high society affairs of New York and Los Angeles, to the great state fairs of the South and the Midwest, to the county fairs that were more athletic contests than society functions. Agriculture was still the mainstay of the United States, and most Americans understood and appreciated the athleticism of Saddlebred horses.
Erect neck, forward ears, and alert attitude distinguish this mare as a quality Saddlebred. Darlene Wohlart/equinephotography.com
World War II put a damper on recreational activity, but in the second half of the 1940s, horse show excitement was revived. With their exceptional beauty and outstanding abilities, American Saddlebreds dominated the saddle seat classes and elegant, high-action driving disciplines.
Most horse shows featured all breeds, often beginning with a jumping class, and then offered Hackneys, roadsters, and parade horses between the traditional Saddlebred competitions. Spurred by the singing cowboys Roy Rogers and Gene Autry, parade classes were hugely popular and attracted many young men to horse shows. Interest in show horses was evidenced in the 1950s, when the flamboyant fine harness star, the Lemon Drop Kid, emerged as the only Saddlebred ever to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated.
An event of note occurred in 1957, when a group of Saddlebred enthusiasts met to form the American Saddlebred Pleasure Horse Association to give stature to English pleasure classes, which had long been a mainstay of the show circuit. This had a tremendous impact on the Saddlebred world over the years, and today the pleasure divisions rival all others in numbers.
In 1959, Charles and Helen Crabtree opened their famous Saddlebred stable in Simpsonville, Kentucky. Success attracts success, and there are now many Saddlebred operations in Shelby County, which currently lays claim to being the “Saddlebred Capital of the World.” Despite gasoline shortages and increased competition for the recreational dollar, the Saddlebred world flourished throughout the 1970s and 1980s and has continued in popularity into the twenty-first century.
Standards
The American Saddlebred is the personification of the ultimate show horse. It is well proportioned and presents a beautiful overall picture. The horse carries itself with an attitude; it is alert with neck arched, head up, ears forward, and every movement saying, “Look at me!”
The breed comes in almost all colors. Pinto type spotting patterns are very popular.
It ranges in height from 14 to 17 hands and weighs from 800 to 1,200 pounds.
Large, wide-set, expressive eyes and gracefully shaped ears set close together are positioned on a well-shaped head. The head and eyes of the ideal Saddlebred suggest refinement and intelligence.
The neck is long with a fine, clean throatlatch, and is arched and well-flexed at the poll. The withers are well defined and prominent, while the shoulders are deep and sloping. Well sprung ribs and a strong level back also characterize the breed. The legs are straight with broad flat bones and sharply defined tendons. Long, sloping pasterns give a spring to the stride, making Saddlebreds very comfortable to ride.
Masculinity in stallions and femininity in mares are important qualities to be expressed.
The Saddlebred has clean, rhythmic, and fluid action, which is straight and true. High quality smoothness and balanced proportions complete an overall picture of symmetry and style. Its conformation, personality, and stamina are well suited to accomplish any task requested.
Perhaps the breed’s most distinguishing trait is a mental acumen. Happy, alert, and curious, American Saddlebreds possess that people-oriented quality called personality, endearing them to their owners and admirers.
The characteristics that have contributed to the Saddlebred’s reputation as the “peacock of the show ring” also make it a versatile horse. Smoothness of gaits and speed, coupled with intelligence and powerful muscling, enable the horse to do whatever is asked of it.
Today, the American Saddlebred is still the ultimate show horse, high-stepping and elegant, from halter to saddle seat classes. A show horse is a spectacle of beauty and grace, but it is also an intense athletic competitor. If conditioned and trained properly, the Saddlebred is capable of almost any task it is asked to perform and does it with style. Outside the traditional saddle seat show arena, the American Saddlebred has been successful in most equine disciplines, from cow horse to jumper and dressage to carriage horse.
Disciplines
In the show ring, American Saddlebreds compete in five primary divisions: Three-Gaited, Five-Gaited, Fine Harness, Park, and Pleasure. Each division has its own look and desired traits; however, all strive to meet the model of an ideal American Saddlebred. Horses are judged on performance, manners, presence, quality, and conformation.
Both the Three- and Five-Gaited classes require horses to display beauty, brilliance, elegance, refinement, and animation. Three-Gaited horses have an animated walk, park trot, and canter. Five-Gaited horses have the animated walk, trot, slow gait, rack, and canter. Protective boots can be worn on the front feet.
Fine Harness horses are elegant, refined, and animated. They are judged on the animated walk, park trot, and “show your horse.” Protective boots are sometimes worn on the front feet.
Park Horses are stylish, with finish and quality, and are well mannered. They have animated and graceful gaits.
The Pleasure division has two sections, Show Pleasure and Country Pleasure. Horses in both divisions perform their gaits promptly and in a comfortable manner, giving the distinct impression of an enjoyable ride. Manners are emphasized, and the horses perform a true, flat walk.
The Show Pleasure division horses are alert and responsive to their environment and rider. They show less animation than the Three-Gaited and Fine Harness horses. The class includes Three-Gaited, Five-Gaited, Western, and driving classes.
Country Pleasure horses are typically less showy than the Show Pleasure horse and demonstrate easy, ground-covering action. They are plain shod, suitable for trail riding. Other classes are offered in this division, including Three-Gaited, Five-Gaited, Driving, Western, and Hunter classes.
Other Disciplines
The versatility and athleticism that the American Saddlebred exhibits in the traditional show ring have been translated into successes for the breed in other disciplines as well. The Saddlebred’s conformation, personality, durability, and willingness to take on any task make it an elegant athlete for any sport.
Saddlebreds have excelled in dressage, combined driving, eventing, show jumping, and endurance, as well as competitive and recreational trail riding. A Saddlebred is capable of almost any task and will do it with extraordinary talent.
Credit: American Saddlebred Horse Association