The America Standardbred horse is between 15.2 – 16hh (1.55 – 1.60m) and the colours are all solid.
Horse breed pictures
It is used for racing and driving, and is undoubtedly the fastest and most famous trotter in the world.
It is extremely popular in the USA and also in Europe, Russia and Scandinavia.
The breed was established in the eastern states of the USA in the late 18th century.
An English Thoroughbred mare called Messenger, imported to the USA in 1788, was bred to Canadian and Narragansett Pacers and Morgan.
The foundation sire was Hambletonian 10, foaled in 1849,who was Messenger’s inbred descendent.
The head is refined and straight with a broad forehead and large nostrils with a shallow mouth.
The body should be long,with the wither being well defined, with strong shoulders and the muscles being long and heavy, which helps with the long strides.
The neck is muscular and should be slightly arched, with a length of medium to long.
Their legs are muscular and solid with muscles on the inside and outside of the legs, with the hoofs that are generally very tough and durable.
They are generally a bit heavier in build than their Thoroughbred cousins, but have refined, solid legs and powerful shoulders and hindquarters.
The breed are considered people-oriented, easy-to-train horses and known for their skill in harness racing, being a very fast trotting horse.
Because of their speed, they are often used to upgrade other breeds of harness racers around the world, such as the Orlov Trotter and French Trotter.
They are also used in horse shows and for pleasure riding.
Many of these retired horses find a second career off the track with the help of various dedicated organizations, such as the Standardbred-Pleasure Horse Organization.
The breed is quite good at jumping, making them suitable for the sport horse disciplines of hunt seat, show jumping, show hunter and eventing.
The breed is also seen in dressage, and their excellent temperaments make them good trail riding and ranch horses.
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