The American Saddlebred, also known as “The Horse That Made America” or “The Horse That Made History,” evolved from Galloway and Hobbie horses imported from Britain in early American history. Early colonists, particularly those from Scotland and Ireland, brought with them Galloway horses, now thought to be extinct. The diminutive, stocky animal was well adapted to the rugged terrain and tough life of clearing and plowing the first fields cleared from old-growth forests.
Researchers suspect that the tree stallion was created by crossing eastern Mediterranean horses with western European horses in order to create an animal with better gaits for recreational riding. These characteristics could be combined well in the recent world.
American Saddlebred. Photo by Bob Langrish
The Narragansett Pacer and the History of America
In the 18th century, a selective breeding program in Rhode Island produced the Narragansett Pacer, which at the time included Thoroughbreds. These horses were bred for a silky ride—a comfortable gait. In 1768, George Washington owned a Narragansett Pacer and ran it in races, while in 1772 Edmund Burke asked an American friend for a pair. Paul Revere may have ridden a pacer during his 1775 ride to warn Americans of a British advance. The breed's obsolete status was largely due to it being sold in such enormous quantities to sugar planters in the West Indies that breeding stock in the United States plummeted. By the early 1770s, horses were among the colonies' top ten exports, with shipments of horses regularly leaving Novel England for the southern colonies and the Caribbean, the economic engine of the colonial era.
Narragansetts had hefty manes and proud heads that rested high on long, skinny necks. Their lines were slender, their limbs exquisite, skinny, and tapered. All written descriptions of these horses seem to point to a handsome, rather diminutive, but overall wonderful horse that performed excellently: a horse-sports vehicle bred for performance and looks in the highest ranks of colonial society.
By 1800, the most distinctive features of these horses had become so common in American stables that they were no longer recognized. The result was an animal known simply as the “American Horse,” prized for its size, strength, and uncomplicated gait. Sixty years later, American generals of the American Civil War, including Confederate commander Robert E. Lee, chose these sturdy horses as mounts.
The general's most notable horse was Traveller (1857-1871), a stallion described in detail in contemporary literature and by Lee himself, who described the horse as “a 16-hand gray.” The horse was also highly prized by the general's staff for his speed, strength, and courage in battle. Originally named Greenbrier because of his origins, the animal already had a good reputation before Lee acquired him in February 1862. Greenbrier (Traveller) had won blue ribbons (grand prize) at the Lewisburg Fairs in Virginia in 1859 and 1860.
Traveller's fame was recorded along with the legacy of the Confederate general who rode him in many battles. Traveller outlived the general by only a few months. The horse had to be put down when it contracted tetanus.
After the American Civil War, the addition of Morgan and Arabian horse genes likely refined the appearance and style of today's American Saddlebred breed type.
(American Saddlebred Horse Association)
Characteristics
American Saddlebreds can have either three gaits (trot, canter and brisk walk) or five gaits (the same as three gaits plus the leisurely four beat and rack). They are high-headed, high-striding, lively horses with lively features and a long, arched neck, powerful back and raised tail. Common colors include chestnut, buff, brown and black, and less commonly gray, roan, palomino and pinto. They are usually between 15 and 17 hands elevated.
Application
Saddlebreds are best known for saddle seat competitions and can be used for driving in demanding harness racing. They compete in five main classes: five-gaited, three-gaited, demanding harness racing, park and pleasure and are judged on performance, manners, presence, quality and conformation. American Standardbreds are also increasingly seen in English (hunter, dressage and eventing), combined driving and western classes.
For more information:
American Saddlebred Horse Association
American Saddlebred Horse Association of Canada
