Standardbreds
Are you new to standardbred (harness) racing?
Don't worry it's easy and full of fast paced excitement.
People tend to make the comparison that today's standardbred racing resembles "Ben Hur" chariot style racing but no matter how you look at it - harness racing is speed, fun and excitement.
What is the big difference between Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds?
Standardbreds are not ridden, they are driven from a bike or sulky.
More important, is the horse's gait (stride). There are Trotters and there are Pacers. You will find Pacers tend to be faster than trotters; they wear bands or hobbles around their legs. Trotters have a higher stepping diagonal stride. You will find Pacers at any Alberta track. For more information please click on to our Racing Style section.
Trotters and Pacers don't race against each other. Both usually race over a one-mile distance.
Remember in high school when you had to run the mile in Phys Ed? Do you remember your time? Harness horses cover the mile distance in two minutes; better yet, good harness horses finish the mile consistently in much less than two minutes.
History - Once A Thoroughbred!
On May 5, 1849 the great grandson of Messenger, (an English thoroughbred imported to Philadelphia in 1788,) Hambletonian was born. Although unknown at the time, Hambletonian 10, as he was registered, would change the direction of standardbred racing forever.
As the story goes, the original owner of Hambletonian felt that he was bred to be a show horse and had nothing but contempt for him and his new owner. In 1852 claiming he'd never be a trotter, Jonas Seeley, Hambletonian's original owner and owner William Ryskyk, decided to settle things once an for all. Hitched to a wagon, both owners in the drivers seat, Hambletonian crossed the finish line ahead of his rival. This was the first and last time Ryskyk trialed his colt. Hambletonian was placed in stud in Chester and bred to a number of local mares. Hambletonian's reputation grew rapidly as a sire of speed.
Through selective inbreeding, the male line of every standarbred stallion that has sired as many as five performers in the two minutes or faster record category has a direct male line to Hambletonian.
The Standardbred name originated at a time when early trotters were required to reach a certain standard for the mile distance in order to be registered as part of the new breed . The Standardbred, is more muscular and longer in body than a Thoroughbred and averages between 12 - 16 hands . The breed appears in varying colors, although bay, brown and black are most prominent. The personality of a standardbred is much more docile than a Thoroughbred and they exhibit a more willing temperament.
The Harness horse also referred to as Standardbred, is a part of our heritage. Originally bred as a quick and useful road horse, the Standardbred was used as a primary means of transportation in Canada before the advent of automobiles.
As history has it, early Canadians began racing their horses on ice as a winter past time and in fact preferred it over summer dirt racing. Pitting ones horse against a neighbors was the beginning of Standardbred racing and brought racing to the common man.
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Racing Style - How Do They Do That?
Unlike the thoroughbred, the standardbred or harness horse (picture left) is driven around the track in what is called a bike or sulky. Harness horses or standardbreds are also referred to as pacers. These horses usually race one mile and are very durable animals.
When you look at a harness horse you might wonder, "how does he/she do that"?
When you slow down the movie to the right, you see that the left front and rear legs move forward as a team and then the right front and rear legs move forward. The harness horse repeats this motion again and again and again. If this motion is broken, the driver must slow the horse up and "get back on stride", sometimes distancing the horse from the field and preventing him/her from winning the race.
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