The origin of the name “Standardbred” began in 1879, as early trotters were required to meet a certain standard for the mile distance in order to be registered as part of the new breed. The standard time was 2minutes and 30 seconds. Today it’s much faster…below 1minute 50seconds. There are only slight differences in the bloodlines of trotter versus pacers, but both can be traced back to Hambletonian 10.
Hambeltonian 10 is a descendent of the original Thoroughbred called Messenger, that was imported from England by Lord Astor. This was Henry Astor who was brother to Jacob and George Astor, one the wealthiest families in America….(at this point I’ve got a little side-tracked into history) because I’ve visited Cliveden Manor in Buckinghamshire which is a fantastic country house hotel today and I always thought the Astors were English (infact they were from Waldorf Germany and came to England as flute makers before they went to America)…I think when I visited it was a National Trust property. It is one of the finest hotels in the world..and ranks the most expensive sandwich at 100 UK pounds! Buckinghamshire is close to London so a great place to stay if you are Bill Gates (who owned the hotel in the 1990’s)!
Cliveden House was owned by Waldorf and Nancy Astor. Back in the first half of the 20th century this stately home was the meeting place of the Cliveden set (a group of political intellectuals)
Here's a very funny Winston Churchill quote:
Nancy Astor quipped: “Sir, if you were my husband, I would give you poison.” to which Churchill replied: “If I were your husband I would take it.”
A very concise description of a Standardbred horse is that it has bloodlines from the breeding of a Thoroughbred horse , with a Naragansett Pacer and a Morgan. However the Canadian Pacer, the Norfolk Trotter and the Hackney have all been introduced into the bloodlines.
Harness racing, begun in the 1830s from the custom of informal carriage races, became very popular in the 1870s, and in 1891 the modern low-wheel sulky replaced the high-wheeler. Harness racing features two differently gaited standardbred horses-pacers (laterally gaited), which move with a swaying motion, bringing the right front and right hind legs forward at the same time, and trotters (diagonally gaited), which move with a high-stepping, straight ahead gait with left front and right hind legs moving forward in unison. Harness racing, formerly a favorite event mainly at U.S. country fairs, became increasingly popular after World War II at racing centers near urban areas. It is still a very important part of State Fairs today. The United States Trotting Association (formed 1938) governs the sport. Notable harness races include the Hambletonian, the Kentucky Futurity, and the Little Brown Jug. OK that’s enough history for today!
I'll try to post some images later!
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