What’s a Standardbred horse?

The Standardbred horse is an American horse breed that’s most notably used for harness racing.

The Standardbred name originated in 1879 when designated by the National Association of

Trotting Horse Breeders. For a horse to be considered part of the breed, specific “standards” had to be met. Today’s Standardbred bloodlines can be traced back to one specific stallion,

Hambletonian.

What makes it a harness race?

Harness racing is when a horse pulls a two-wheeled cart known as a race bike or sulky with a

driver in the sitting position. Harness races begin with a “rolling” start where horses move

behind a mobile starting gate. Besides pulling race bikes, harness racing’s most unique qualities

are its racing gaits.

Standardbred gaits

A “gait” refers to how Standardbred horses actually move their legs. There are two gait styles:

the pace and the trot. Standardbreds are bred to perform a specific gait, so it’s rare that a horse

will cross-compete as both a trotter and pacer.

The “pacing gait” is when the horse’s front and back legs on the same side move in unison,

meaning that the horse’s left front leg is moving forward at the same time that it’s left back leg

is also moving forward.

The “trotting gait” is when the horse’s front and back legs alternate on each side, meaning that

the horse’s left front leg is moving forward while its right back leg is moving forward.