Standardbreds, trotters, pacers?

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Hello,
Last may I brought a 15.1 3yr standardbred skewbald gelding rescue (if you saw him you would never think he was one as he doesn’t act like it at all and he just acts like what a normal 3yr horse should be like) there is a thread all about him ‘horse rescue transformations!’ If you want to know his story.

I just want to know if they have been successfully trained into a normal riding horse? When I first got him he paced. But ever since he has build muscle and grown and matured a tiny bit he actually has three beautiful paces! Loverly trot, a soft and bouncy canter, and a rapid gallop! I really want him to be a little allrounder. I know that is a lot to ask but I really do think he has some potential. He goes over poles, long reins and working on lunging atm, has been sat in bareback and with full tack on, and not bothered what so ever! He’s very bold and full of character and pops a few cross poles if asked to in hand. Walks out in hand in company in the middle in front and at the back and out on his own and not fazed at all! My family and I think he was maybe driven as he was found down a muddy bank with front shoes on. And probably been hit with the stick too (as when we got him he had scabs like thin short wack marks on his hind end ?) long things like flags and long poles scare him and so did whips, but we incorporated that into a routine where he would get rubbed all around with it and now he isn’t fazed. Just hoping people have seen a standardbred for sale that can jump or hack out, (I’m not looking but just want to know what is out there to compare with what I want mine to do) or knows someone that has a standardbred, trotter or pacer that has been turned into successful riding horse or maybe has one themselves.. I have seen a few that have been ex pacers etc and huge potential over fences and there are a few allrounder Standardbreds for sale where I live too! Just looking for some inspiration to tell myself it is possible!! Thank you for reading hopefully there is some hope after all!
 
Rescue.12 said:
Hello,
Last may I brought a 15.1 3yr standardbred skewbald gelding rescue (if you saw him you would never think he was one as he doesn’t act like it at all and he just acts like what a normal 3yr horse should be like) there is a thread all about him ‘horse rescue transformations!’ If you want to know his story.

I just want to know if they have been successfully trained into a normal riding horse? When I first got him he paced. But ever since he has build muscle and grown and matured a tiny bit he actually has three beautiful paces! Loverly trot, a soft and bouncy canter, and a rapid gallop! I really want him to be a little allrounder. I know that is a lot to ask but I really do think he has some potential. He goes over poles, long reins and working on lunging atm, has been sat in bareback and with full tack on, and not bothered what so ever! He’s very bold and full of character and pops a few cross poles if asked to in hand. Walks out in hand in company in the middle in front and at the back and out on his own and not fazed at all! My family and I think he was maybe driven as he was found down a muddy bank with front shoes on. And probably been hit with the stick too (as when we got him he had scabs like thin short wack marks on his hind end ?) long things like flags and long poles scare him and so did whips, but we incorporated that into a routine where he would get rubbed all around with it and now he isn’t fazed. Just hoping people have seen a standardbred for sale that can jump or hack out, (I’m not looking but just want to know what is out there to compare with what I want mine to do) or knows someone that has a standardbred, trotter or pacer that has been turned into successful riding horse or maybe has one themselves.. I have seen a few that have been ex pacers etc and huge potential over fences and there are a few allrounder Standardbreds for sale where I live too! Just looking for some inspiration to tell myself it is possible!! Thank you for reading hopefully there is some hope after all!
Click to expand...
Hi I’ve seen quite a few on Facebook. I think there are a couple of pages on Facebook dedicated to Standardbreds so I would say he has potential to be a good all rounder.
Good luck with him he sounds a lovely little horse x
 
There's lots of Standardbred Swedish/French/American Trotters who continues to become ridden horses in Sweden, harness racing with Trotters is larger than Thoroughbred racing in Sweden.

Below is one of the videos I happened to find on YouTube with a Standardbred Swedish Trotter jumping:


I've heard that ridden Trotters can have a tendency to for example walk in a sort of pacing pace, and it seems as if at least some of them needs awhile to learn which pace canter/gallop goes in, if that makes sense. Also seen a few YouTube videos were the ridden Trotter prefers to trot between the jumps.
 
I know of one who had some training from a woman who was very good with him and he looked like a different horse after about a year. She also installed some better manners in him, and he also behaved like a different horse.
:)
 
My mare is trotter x cob. She was raced as,a youngster but luckily for her was, sold as she wasn't fast enough.
Shes been around the block a bit, I got her 4 years, ago, she was very unbalanced in her schooling (used to pace) and had major trust issues. Shes turned into a lovely riding horse with a great trot and very comfy canter. Loves jumping and we received_748848402323679_compress60.jpg have done some low level dressage. She's still wary of the whip and is very defensive and slow to forgive.
 
vmac66 said:
My mare is trotter x cob. She was raced as,a youngster but luckily for her was, sold as she wasn't fast enough.
Shes been around the block a bit, I got her 4 years, ago, she was very unbalanced in her schooling (used to pace) and had major trust issues. Shes turned into a lovely riding horse with a great trot and very comfy canter. Loves jumping and we View attachment 65303 have done some low level dressage. She's still wary of the whip and is very defensive and slow to forgive.
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You have done such a good job with her!! Does she pace still or has she learnt to Trot??
 
My husband's standardbred x tb. Before coming to us he was successfully competing in showjumping.

Since buying him he has been used for hunting and hacking and will still happily clear a round of jumps beautifully.

We've never known him to pace. He has lovely floating movement in walk trot and canter.

The only thing we have found, and from speaking to other standie owners its very much a case with a lot of them, is that they have big hearts but equally big attitudes, and are certainly not for the faint hearted ??

received_305641650771979.jpeg
 
Equine_Dream said:
My husband's standardbred x tb. Before coming to us he was successfully competing in showjumping.

Since buying him he has been used for hunting and hacking and will still happily clear a round of jumps beautifully.

We've never known him to pace. He has lovely floating movement in walk trot and canter.

The only thing we have found, and from speaking to other standie owners its very much a case with a lot of them, is that they have big hearts but equally big attitudes, and are certainly not for the faint hearted ??

View attachment 65305
Click to expand...
Gorgeous horse and no they aren’t for the faint Hearted lol ?
 
I worked with loads in NZ, they make excellent trail horses, bold, brave, honest, and unlike the posters above I would say there wasn’t an ounce of attitude in them, and a beginner could ride most of them, so in my experience the ‘not for the faint hearted’ bit wasn’t true at all. Whether that’s due to how hard these boys worked I don’t know. All lovely lovely horses. Not as pretty as the TBs, quite plain most of them, but lovely horses. Only one (in photo) who i named ‘the bulldozer’ as he would go through, over, up or down anything, could be a challenge, but I’d hazard a guess it was for a reason that wasn’t investigated. Jumped really well, crossed deep rivers, found his way through quicksand, but he was one that always paced and never trotted (a very cool experience to ride a pacer in top gear alongside galloping horses). I love a good standie.
F9EF2F56-1D13-49ED-92CC-675680EB1F35.jpeg
 
I have re-trained many pacers, and the outcome is variable. Just like any other horse, the quality varies, although I've only known a few to REALLY shine (there's an ex-trotter competing Advanced Medium in my area, and I know how much it takes his rider to hold him together - mega kudos).

I trained one who forgot all about his pacing but his gaits remained flat and ungainly. He was very correct in all other ways and could scrape 65-70% in Novice classes but would tank in the Elementary classes. His footfalls were correct though, and that horse could jump for England. Nothing phased him. He died young, unexpectedly, so I don't know if he might have improved with age. It's possible, but my gut feeling was that he would always be a bit limited.

My current mare is Hackney x Trotter who has about 6 gaits! She is very flashy ... Our dressage is all over the shop! 8s and 9s suddenly turn into 4s and QuestionMarks ... I have every hope that she will continue to improve and she gains strength. In her case, our limitation is that she's not traffic safe and we have no all weather surface, so winters are dire and our training goes backwards every year. Oh well, she's happy in other ways and we hack at weekends when the roads are not busy. She too can jump - fast, tidy, bold!

And then finally, we had a 14.2hh trotter mare who had raced up and down the seafronts with the gypsies ... won Borde Hill 90 on 28.1 dressage and clears out pure dressage (sadly her owner never affiliated as it wasn't her thing, but she wins everything she enters at unaffiliated, up to Elementary).

There were others. I'd say the uniting factor is they all learned correct footfalls but the quality of gait was individual to the horse. But they ALL jumped like they were bred for it. And bold!
 
There are standardbreds who are bred to race in a normal trot. I think they are called square trotters on Dragon Driving? I think my horses Swedish mother was one of those because there is absolutely no sign of him having a predisposition to pace.

If I was buying to retrain i would always try and get a square trotter not a pacer, I've seen some eye opening attempts at teaching a pacer to canter!
.
 
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I retrain trotters and standies and they can turn into super riding ponies. I event and showjumping them and they are all super jumpers. They have good paces but I've never got one to a stage where it would be a full-time dressage horse on any level, most love the more complex moves but are inconsistent in some areas. when we event we are always clear xc and sj with a low dressage score! but I have found them all to be amazing horse - lovely work attitudes, hardy, very willing, clever and with a super jump
 
I rode one (a trotter) for a couple of years in a riding school as a teenager (long story, he wasn't an intended purchase - the very dodgy dealer put another horse on the box to the one purchased and he was such a wreck we couldn't return him). It took him quite a long time to learn to canter, but he wasn't getting any real training, just picking it up with me as rider. He did get there eventually though, and he could jump. I would have another one without a doubt, he had the nicest nature of any horse I've ever met. He was like a big dog.
 
I have a trotter x trad cob. We did long distance rides and endurance for nearly 20yrs together. He has the most amazing trot and will go all day with lots of stamina and enthusiasm. He used to be quite disunited in canter but with lots of transitions especially in the early days in the school he soon got better. They make the best trail horses and mine definitely was a work horse who thrived on lots of work. We both retired now but have had a fantastic 20 years together
 
So many stories! Gives me so much hope as I said he ‘did pace’ but hasn’t done so in months! so gives me a lot motivation that he will be a good ridden horse in the future that he could have some sort of ‘normal paces’. There’s no rush to get him backed so hopefully he will pick it up a bit better than if he was to be rushed. He has jumped and is very bold but I know he could be completely different under saddle. He has a BEAUTIFUL canter so cantering won’t be an issue!
 
Some Standardbreds will always revert to that half trot , half canter when asked to canter. Can be rather odd to watch. I have a friend with two Standardbreds and they do this. I have a trotter who is amazing at hacking and long distance. Jumps like a stag. Especially XC. However .. his canter at schooling can be hit and miss. Especially on the right rein. He can go up in the transition with his back legs together for four or so strides. And will often lead on the incorrect leg. Strangely evough ,, not an issue if cantering out on a ride as he likes to run into a canter. He could do a pretty decent test with more schooling. We really cracked on during last summer lockdown. But.. I use him for riding out. 27898CEE-4255-43CE-BB5F-7B3516EBF15E.jpeg
 
Really interesting read, I knew one who was a fantastic jumper but would pace/trot fences regardless of height but would make a really nice shape over them. Others I have come across have taken a long time to develop, nice hacks and brave but found the school work tricky!
 
All the ones I have worked with have had lovely personalities and been fabulous unflappable trail horses and really try for you. Canter was a bit hit or miss but I was young and wasn't very skilled. Always felt fun and safe though regardless of where their legs went though.
 
Just to add there is a lady in Australia on instagram who competes in dressage with her standard bred Arnie, account is dressage_dreamers. She has done a fab job schooling him and he doesn't move typically like a trotter (but he is still a 5 paced horse)
 
Deleted member 150717 said:
Hello,
Last may I brought a 15.1 3yr standardbred skewbald gelding rescue (if you saw him you would never think he was one as he doesn’t act like it at all and he just acts like what a normal 3yr horse should be like) there is a thread all about him ‘horse rescue transformations!’ If you want to know his story.

I just want to know if they have been successfully trained into a normal riding horse? When I first got him he paced. But ever since he has build muscle and grown and matured a tiny bit he actually has three beautiful paces! Loverly trot, a soft and bouncy canter, and a rapid gallop! I really want him to be a little allrounder. I know that is a lot to ask but I really do think he has some potential. He goes over poles, long reins and working on lunging atm, has been sat in bareback and with full tack on, and not bothered what so ever! He’s very bold and full of character and pops a few cross poles if asked to in hand. Walks out in hand in company in the middle in front and at the back and out on his own and not fazed at all! My family and I think he was maybe driven as he was found down a muddy bank with front shoes on. And probably been hit with the stick too (as when we got him he had scabs like thin short wack marks on his hind end ?) long things like flags and long poles scare him and so did whips, but we incorporated that into a routine where he would get rubbed all around with it and now he isn’t fazed. Just hoping people have seen a standardbred for sale that can jump or hack out, (I’m not looking but just want to know what is out there to compare with what I want mine to do) or knows someone that has a standardbred, trotter or pacer that has been turned into successful riding horse or maybe has one themselves.. I have seen a few that have been ex pacers etc and huge potential over fences and there are a few allrounder Standardbreds for sale where I live too! Just looking for some inspiration to tell myself it is possible!! Thank you for reading hopefully there is some hope after all!
Click to expand...
Is there such ting as a standardbread skewbald I own some but doing my research I don’t believe there is
 
These are my skewbald s standardbread breads I hope
 

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Deleted member 150717 said:
Hello,
Last may I brought a 15.1 3yr standardbred skewbald gelding rescue (if you saw him you would never think he was one as he doesn’t act like it at all and he just acts like what a normal 3yr horse should be like) there is a thread all about him ‘horse rescue transformations!’ If you want to know his story.

I just want to know if they have been successfully trained into a normal riding horse? When I first got him he paced. But ever since he has build muscle and grown and matured a tiny bit he actually has three beautiful paces! Loverly trot, a soft and bouncy canter, and a rapid gallop! I really want him to be a little allrounder. I know that is a lot to ask but I really do think he has some potential. He goes over poles, long reins and working on lunging atm, has been sat in bareback and with full tack on, and not bothered what so ever! He’s very bold and full of character and pops a few cross poles if asked to in hand. Walks out in hand in company in the middle in front and at the back and out on his own and not fazed at all! My family and I think he was maybe driven as he was found down a muddy bank with front shoes on. And probably been hit with the stick too (as when we got him he had scabs like thin short wack marks on his hind end ?) long things like flags and long poles scare him and so did whips, but we incorporated that into a routine where he would get rubbed all around with it and now he isn’t fazed. Just hoping people have seen a standardbred for sale that can jump or hack out, (I’m not looking but just want to know what is out there to compare with what I want mine to do) or knows someone that has a standardbred, trotter or pacer that has been turned into successful riding horse or maybe has one themselves.. I have seen a few that have been ex pacers etc and huge potential over fences and there are a few allrounder Standardbreds for sale where I live too! Just looking for some inspiration to tell myself it is possible!! Thank you for reading hopefully there is some hope after all!
Click to expand...
It’s impossible to get a pacer to canter and mind you I am not a traveler and have raced horses in the Ed’s and to be honest I am trying to chase there blood to see are they real or did something go wrong if so I would love to invent one but as far as I can go back there were registered in England in 1903 buy a horse called miss elegance
 
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