Standardbreds - a few facts

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Crosshill Pacers

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Sorry to get up on my soapbox again, but the task falls to me as a self-appointed ambassador for the breed to promote this breed and ensure that people appreciate them for what they are.

The other day I saw a post on here (I think) that started with a sentence that went something along the lines of 'I have a standardbred (gypsy trotter)...' - now this is not me having a go at the poster, because I realised almost straight away that this is a commonly held misconception and is based partly (if not wholly) with the first hand experiences people have had with a certain section of society. The horse in question may well have been, at some point, a gypsy trotting horse.

Now I'm not an expert on gypsy trotters, but I am in possession of at least some knowledge of Standardbreds, so bear with me on this. It is my understanding that gypsy trotters can be ANY breed of horse, any colour, any size, provided that they trot as fast as they can over a certain distance. This can, and does, include Standardbreds. However, Standardbreds are a separate breed of horse and are not exclusively used as gypsy trotting horses. They are bred for harness racing, a multi-million dollar/euro (unfortunately not pound, just yet!) sport around the world. When people say pacer, others think road-racing. So here are some videos (that have also been posted on the STAGBI Facebook page) to illustrate what these incredible animals are capable of doing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW8C17RqyaA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld-luQ85qW8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3goC50jhdjU

http://s4c.co.uk/rasus/cgi-bin/rasus.pl?rm=race_watch;tx=106;race=1132;l=e

http://s4c.co.uk/rasus/cgi-bin/rasus.pl?rm=race_watch;tx=124;race=1193;l=e

http://s4c.co.uk/rasus/cgi-bin/rasus.pl?rm=race_watch;tx=122;race=1170;l=e ***

(The last video, just in case you don't get what's so amazing about the winner, is that she was the only mare in the race. The horses were the highest level British pacers at the time, and all were stallions bar her. When she was drawn 7 on the gate of 7, everybody wrote her off. What makes Laneside Lexus able to compete against the boys at this level must surely be her size - she's 17.2hh - and last autumn she was exported to Canada to race for BIG money. She's still out there now, having won several races, and will be put in foal to a top American stallion before coming back to Co Durham)

*** The race was the Crock of Gold final, not the Billy Williams FFA - S4C appear to have their videos mixed up!

I'm glad I got that off my chest. I'll go back and hide in my cave now and read up on more Standardbred pedigrees and legends :p
 
Well said!

My OH is a huge fan of standard bred trotters and I know that a lot of the coloured 'gypsy' trotters do have some standardbred in there somewhere.

You really can't beat the real thing though - they are amazing to watch and I just wish we had a track nearer.

It is a real shame that the sport of trotting has ended up with such a bad name, it would be nice to see more being done to promote it.
 
Well said. I have a Standardbred and love the breed. Mine used to race, as a pacer. Her name's Bow Louise and she bred one colt in 1999, after which I bought her. She's feeling a bit sorry for herself as she's got strangles, bless her heart, and is extra sweet and cuddly.
 
I love Standies. I will always defend the breed. They are beautiful natured horses and thankfully over here in Aus there are a few Standie only breed shows. It seems more and more people are catching on to their versitility.
 
NaeNae87 said:
I love Standies. I will always defend the breed. They are beautiful natured horses and thankfully over here in Aus there are a few Standie only breed shows. It seems more and more people are catching on to their versitility.
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Now THAT is a whole other kettle of fish! I could get back on my soapbox and be here all day trying to showcase their talents off the racetrack!
 
madlady said:
Well said!

My OH is a huge fan of standard bred trotters and I know that a lot of the coloured 'gypsy' trotters do have some standardbred in there somewhere.

You really can't beat the real thing though - they are amazing to watch and I just wish we had a track nearer.

It is a real shame that the sport of trotting has ended up with such a bad name, it would be nice to see more being done to promote it.
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Whereabouts are you based? I'm trying to do my bit by bombarding people with information about the horses and the racing (although I do think the BHRC could do more to promote the sport while I bust a gut promoting the breed!)
 
Can I help promote them?

Mine did over 30 miles over the weekend (20+ miles at a trot), coped with being chucked in with 3 strange horses, did his first ever fun ride and aced it, hacked through the centre of Milton Keynes with no issue and well, just look at that face!!

 
I've got a thing for trotters (all of them, hackneys etc) and sooo wanted to be into the racing but I went to see a race at york one time and it was a bit of a letdown - a lot of waiting around and then, yay, a race! and then it was finished and loads of waiting again....it's far too quick!? :(
 
DanceswithCows said:
I've got a thing for trotters (all of them, hackneys etc) and sooo wanted to be into the racing but I went to see a race at york one time and it was a bit of a letdown - a lot of waiting around and then, yay, a race! and then it was finished and loads of waiting again....it's far too quick!? :(
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You must be the only person to complain it's too quick...all of us who train and race them want them to go as fast as possible! I know what you mean though, 99% of races are over a mile, I would like to see more mile and a half and two mile races. Considering they're a breed known for their stamina I'd love to see some longer distance races (like a jumpless Grand National?!)

Nah - your Ned is a perfect ambassador, and yes, look at that face!
 
Adore my standardbred gelding ,he was very immature when I had him also only stopped growing last year.So now i'm backing him this year now he has more confindence ,he is 8yrs old and a real sweetie only problem I find is his head size does anyone else have these problems.He has a full size bridle but has to have x full browband and he has big ears,so I had to crochet him a fly fringe as you can see he's not impressed

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Awww bless pinball his face is so cute! - loving the crochet ears! :D

I absolutely adore my standie - I didn't know he was one when I bought him though! I was asked the other day about whether I would have another one, and it took me about half a second to think about it, I definitely would - but I just wondered is there a re-homing market/ scheme in the same way there is for ex-racers? Especially young ones?
 
We have a standard bred he raced as a Pacer.
He is a Full wire hunter and the best horse for my learner partner, they has done 20kms endurance and trekked. Heaps of get up and go but safe as.

Plus really ecomonical to run only needs a scoop of chaff year round with multis in it and hay when there is no grass, weight stays the same year round.

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My claim to fame - I worked for Jack Smolenski in 1988/89 and I drove Gina Rosa in training.

Gina Rosa ( Plat du Jour-Gina Marie) ) won 17 races and was 32 times placed for $414,565 in New Zealand. Gina Rosa's main wins were the NZ Standardbred Breeders Stakes (Group One), the Great Northern Oaks (Group One) and the C F McCarthy Ladyship Stakes (Group Two).

I think they are lovely horses and like Australia they have shows and classes especially for them.

They started with a few riders getting together in the Christchurch area to form a club - the club then worked on getting more members by pressuring local shows to have a class just for them - they offered the funds for ribbons etc. It then caught on around New Zealand - there are classes at many shows and then the clubs have their own shows and high points. Now many of the A & P shows hold SB classes - these are the equivalent of County Shows

Some photos
Winter woolies show


Out on a group ride with the other SB club members


In the collecting Ring


2009 Nationals


Schooling X Country


Lisa & Kos
 
Trotting is bigger than galloping here in New Zealand, so standardbreds are very common. Most of us have owned one at one time or another because they are so plentiful and quite cheap. NZ Cup day is the trotting cup and it's our version of the Melbourne Cup!

They are very sort after as trekking horses, because they are pretty cruisy and lots of people like them for just hacking around. Not so great for other things as most of them struggle to canter well.

Had a bit of a giggle about the Gypsy trotter thing. Gypsy Cobs or Vanners are the latest cool thing here and sell for big money. There is one advertised on TM at the moment for NZ$23,000 and its just a weanling. Your average standie going as a hack sells for around NZ$500.
 
Great to see the pics from NZ. What a lot of the UK owners don't realise is that as long as they raced under BHRC rules then Standies in the UK are eligible for the ROR classes over here as they are a recognised racing body :D
 
pinball said:
Adore my standardbred gelding ,he was very immature when I had him also only stopped growing last year.So now i'm backing him this year now he has more confindence ,he is 8yrs old and a real sweetie only problem I find is his head size does anyone else have these problems.He has a full size bridle but has to have x full browband and he has big ears,so I had to crochet him a fly fringe as you can see he's not impressed
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I am so glad Pinball has big ears too! My girl has suspiciously large ears, people have commented at the races in the past that her father must have been a donkey :o it's why I tend to refer to her as Big Ears:

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To those of you in NZ, we can only aspire to have racing at your level! Things here are kind of in turmoil - Scotland's hard track is supposedly being sold off for the land to be developed for a supermarket, plans for a hard track in West Wales have all but fallen through, and the general racing body (in my opinion) isn't doing near enough to promote the sport. We race for washers and not enough young people are coming in to the sport (I'm one of literally a handful of young people that wasn't born into it).

B&A - there isn't any sort of programme set up at the moment, although it is my 'dream', so to speak, for the future. I do however try to help people who contact me by asking around people I know in the area and trying to set them up. There's two annual sales - one in York and one in Builth Wells (mid Wales) where horses are sold, including foals, yearlings, 2yos, horses in and out of training and broodmares. A family friend bought a horse there for hunting, jumped on him after he'd paid for him and rode him bareback out of the showground! The horse is now used in a riding school for disabled children in south Wales :)
 
monkeybum13 said:
Ditto.

My standie is very versatile :)
(I know I shouldn't say this but some are darn ugly though, *runs*)
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I prefer to think of them as... plain... you don't see too many with much white ;) although my Maggie I always thought was gorgeous, just hoping her new owner can get her out to some competitions - she's currently having dresssage lessons with a NZ squad member apparently :eek: :D
 
They have an apprentice scheme here in NZ with afternoon release for training and exams to pass at the end of it all.

Here Harness Racing is known as the working mans racing as the horses are far cheaper than the TB's - they can also be bred by AI so even breeding your own is affordable.

I owned one many years ago and broke her to harness, she trialed well and then I sold her.

How about starting up a Ridden Standardbred Society in the UK - set down the rules specific to the horses and then lobby the shows for classes. it can only escalate.
 
Lanky Loll said:
I prefer to think of them as... plain... you don't see too many with much white ;) although my Maggie I always thought was gorgeous, just hoping her new owner can get her out to some competitions - she's currently having dresssage lessons with a NZ squad member apparently :eek: :D
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Kiwis must like their standies, my NZ instructor (4* eventer) rather quite likes her ;)
Mine has no white on her, makes cleaning her for hunting much easier!
 
How do they brand the UK Standardbreds?

Here in NZ they freeze brand on the off side of the neck using a serious of shapes. Each has an individual number and once they've had a foal a dot gets added following blood typing.

 
Tnavas said:
How do they brand the UK Standardbreds?

Here in NZ they freeze brand on the off side of the neck using a serious of shapes. Each has an individual number and once they've had a foal a dot gets added following blood typing.

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We don't brand - they're all chipped and tail hairs are sent off shortly after birth for analysis as part of the STAGBI registration.
 
monkeybum13 said:
Kiwis must like their standies, my NZ instructor (4* eventer) rather quite likes her ;)
Mine has no white on her, makes cleaning her for hunting much easier!
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Wonder if it's the same one - you're not a million miles away ;) I think they're probably a good place to start as unlike a lot of the UK folks they're a bit more aware of the breed :)
 
Nah said:
Can I help promote them?

Mine did over 30 miles over the weekend (20+ miles at a trot), coped with being chucked in with 3 strange horses, did his first ever fun ride and aced it, hacked through the centre of Milton Keynes with no issue and well, just look at that face!!

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Aww he's so cute! :) love him.
 
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