The Standardbred
by Melissa Rigby

The underdog of horses. The Warmblood, and almost any other competitive horse owner, stick their noses up at them. Yet the most versatile breed in the world. The Standardbred.

I ask myself, and I have asked myself many times in the past several years: "Why are Standardbreds looked down upon? Why are they never even considered as a riding horse by many?” And I've come to a simple conclusion, ignorance. It may be harsh, but true. What people don't know, they are afraid of, or afraid to take a chance with, or afraid to learn about. People, in general, assume too much, rather than look into the details and facts. Because many, or actually most, horse owners know nothing about the Standardbred, they disregard them. Generally, people think that Standardbreds are only good for racing, and that is an assumption. Thoroughbreds were originally bred and trained for racing, but you don't see people saying they are only racehorses. Even the stereotypical, hot-headed, idiot Thoroughbred is given a better chance than Standardbreds.

Now lets look a bit into what this so called 'useless' breed is made of. Do most people even know what breeds are the foundation of the Standardbred? Didn't think so. A Standardbred will trace back to most of the lines that your Arabian, Thoroughbred, Morgan, Saddlebred, or Tennessee Walker will have. In fact, Tennessee Walkers are a branch-off breed from the Standardbred. Many people don't realize they pace, too.

Standardbreds are ugly. A very common comment I have heard made towards this breed. Sure, some may not be the most gorgeous conformational wise, but I have seen some just as unattractive Thoroughbreds, Draft Horses, Quarter Horses, Arabians, you name it. How 'pretty' a horse is does not win you the ribbons(unless you are doing Halter Classes, of course), and 'pretty' does not always mean a nice temperament.
Let me tell you a brief story: A girl I grew up with, and was friends with, bred Canadian Warmbloods. Her mother was a dressage rider, and of all the horses on the property, she used a Thoroughbred/Percheron as her dressage horse. He was 17.2hh, had the biggest, ugliest lumpy head you had ever seen, and a big, thick neck, which didn't quite match the body. This horse was not a pretty picture. She did Prix St. George with this horse. He was also the sweetest horse you'd ever meet.
My point: Looks can be deceiving.

Depending on where you look for Standardbreds, is going to depend on how they look themselves. If you go to a racetrack and look at the racers, you are going to see, very slender, thin/ewe-necked horses. They look like that because they are trained not to use their hind-end, and are also not trained to bend, or use their neck. They are also trained to pace, they weren't born doing it naturally. Have you ever seen a harnessed Standardbred? They use Hopples on their legs to keep them pacing, they use a Check to keep their head and neck in the air, and being hooked to a buggy prevents them from being able to bend. Have you seen an un-raced Standardbred? They will look like any other horse.

Another personal story: I bought a 2 year old Standardbred stud (no, I did not intend to breed him, he just came that way), only halter broke, and believe it or not, as my first horse. When I first brought him to his new home, a boarder asked me (not knowing his breed at all), if he was a Dutch Warmblood. As soon as I said he was a Standardbred, she made a face, and not a pleasing one. I have been to many different stables with him, and as a stud for that matter. I have had people assuming he was Thoroughbred, or Anglo-Arab, but never was their first guess that he was a Standardbred (unless they saw his tattoo, which was hidden by his long mane). Again, looks can be deceiving. I was 16 years old when I bought him, didn't geld him until I was 19. Partially because he was well mannered for a stud, and also because he was a cryptorchid, and I didn't have $1500 to geld him until much later. I never hired anyone to work with him, no trainers or anything. The fact that he had never even been trained to race made him malleable, he learned to go on the bit very nicely, and he DID NOT pace. I did dressage with my guy, and recently leased out him as a dressage horse to an older lady who wanted something that was bombproof (she just had her hip replaced and could not risk falling) to ride. Even as a stud, I could put anyone on him. I didn't need to ride him in anything but a loose-ring snaffle. He never bucked, kicked, reared, bolted or anything like that. Again, even as a stud, he was the best first horse.

I think about my first horse, and how easy he was to work with, and how fast he learned, and how laid-back he was and I wonder why other people don't choose a Standardbred as their first horse. Most people want something bombproof, something that: isn't going to spook at everything, isn't going take-off bucking, stands still when tacking up and mounting, and is nice tempered. At the race track, these horses are draped and tied with all sorts of contraptions, taught to stand still, and don't mind a cart 'chasing' after them. Even a Standardbred that is green under saddle, is well broke, and usually quite bombproof. Also, for a first horse, why would you spend a fortune? Unless you are already an established, competitive rider, you don't need the 'best of the best' at first, or ever for that matter. With that, I am not saying the Standardbred isn't good enough for a show horse, but because of the way people have rated them, you can buy an amazing horse for next to nothing. Often, when people see a horse for a extremely low price, they assume (again, that ignorance) there is something wrong with it. When I see a horse for a cheap price, the word "Project" leaps out at me. There isn't always something wrong with a cheap horse, they just might not be desirable to most people in the sense that it's not the right breed, not registered, not trained, or maybe it's just not 'pretty' enough. All-in-all, there is nothing wrong with the Standardbred, they are cheap because they are not the 'right' breed or not 'pretty' enough or assumed(ahem) to be 'useless'.

Briefly, let me tell you about the second Standardbred I owned. I bought her for $200 as a 3 year old. She was incredibly sweet and well-mannered. She had been broke to harness, but never raced. The first time I backed her, I threw my little sister(who does not know how to ride) on her. She danced around a bit then calmed down and didn't care. The next day, I hopped on her and took her for a trot around the track at the barn I boarded at. Two month after riding, and I was able to jump her 3ft under saddle(not on a regular basis, of course, I didn't want to destroy her joints). This horse had amazing potential, which I especially notice when she jumped her 4ft paddock fence to visit my other horse. I could take her on road rides, and trail rides, and she was completely safe. She was bette behaved tha most of the older, well trained horses I boardd with! She paced only when she was excited, confused or off balance, which went away the more she was ridden. I sold this filly to a 13 year old girl, as her first horse, planning on doing hunter/jumper with her next spring. The point of this: I have never worked with a horse that learned so fast, and tried so hard to please its rider. There are not many three year old, green horses out there that would be suitable as a first horse for a 13 year old.

It is becoming more and more popular in the states to retrain and breed Standardbreds as sport/show horses. In California, Standardbreds are becoming popular hunter/jumpers. In the eastern United States, Standardbreds are highly recognized for their skills outside of racing. There is even a trainer who breeds Standardbreds for the sole purpose of cattle penning. Standardbred are gaited horses, and can be trained to perform five gaits on command: walk, running walk, trot, pace, canter. With that, they can be shown in gaited classes. The running walk is much like the Icelandic Pony's 'tolt', or like the Paso Fino's Running-walk. Standardbreds can also be trained to Amble, Rack, or Single-foot like the Tennessee Walker. Get a hold of a trainer who works with gaited horses, and you have a blue-ribbon mount. If you can find an un-raced/untrained Standardbred, they will pick up dressage quite easily. It will be a bit harder to train them to bend if they have been raced or trained to harness, but definitely not impossible. If you happen to be looking for just a trail horse, or even an endurance mount, a well established pacer would be key. The Pace is a comfortable, smooth, rolling movement which is effective on various terrain, and can be extremely fast. Or even better, use them for competitive driving. They are usually broke to drive to some extent. There is really nothing they can't do in the horse world. With all that said and done, I say to all those people who laugh at the idea of competing with a Standardbred, "I'll see you in the show ring, your rude awakening is soon to come!"

About the Author

Melissa Rigby is an experinced horse rider as well as an Equine Photographer. Take a look at her website: Paradoxical Productions - Equine Photography