Standardbred Horses

Standardbred horses compete only in Harness Racing. They are usually smaller in size to thoroughbred horses, stockier, more muscular and with a longer head. They are more docile than thoroughbreds and as a result easier to train.

Standardbred horses are all descendents of an English thoroughbred named messenger who was exported to the United States in 1788. One of his descendents Hambletonian 10 produced many standardbred horses and almost every pacing and trotting horse can be traced back to him.

The name standardbred comes from the fact that the early trotters were required to run a standard time of 2 minutes and 30 seconds for the mile. Only then could they be registered as part of the breed. Trotters and Pacers are bred slightly differently to obtain different qualities but both can be traced back to the Hambletonian 10. The standardbred stud book was established in 1879.