Don't pass over a Standardbred when deciding on your next pleasure horse purchase. And totally disregard any negative information you have ever received in the past. The Standardbred horse is an athletic and intelligent individual, well suited for many disciplines beyond the racetrack. They have proven time and again their value in the show ring, the jump course, the rodeo circuit, the hunt course, the endurance arena, etc. Not to mention, an excellent backyard family or trail horse choice.
These horses can walk, trot, pace, canter, gallop and jump. There are 2 different lineages in the breed, The Trotter and The Pacer. The Trotter races on the trot and The Pacer races on the pace. A pacing gate is an additional gate for the pacing horses NOT an alternate gate. Most pacers do have a very nice trot. and can canter, jump or gallop as well as the trotters.
Standardbreds come with a huge assortments of heads. There is the classic roman nose, big eared older style Standie, but this has been slowly disappearing. The best and most common trait is the large soft brown eyes, the large nostrils, wide set forehead showing intelligence, and generally a good sized ear! Trotters tend to have larger ears than pacers.
They tend to love to work and aim to please. They have seen almost everything in their track life and generally nothing bothers them. They tend to be road safe and have impeccable manners. They normally load, clip, cross tie and stand for extended periods of time patiently.
Commonly, they have been handled their entire life and tend to be very friendly and like being part of the family.
Another misconception. Pacing standardbreds have an additional gait with The Pace. But, they can walk, trot, pace, canter and gallop. The breed has many individuals that love to jump and can do so quite well. For many years the highest jumping horse in the world was a mare name Bionic Woman.
Nope, standardbreds come in many color choices. Various Bay colors is the most common (seal bay and blood bays, etc.) , But they also come in gray, black, white, roan, chestnut and even paint.
DA's Bad Boy showing in the youth ring with Sammy
