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When fine ladies and smart gentleman of Britain
used the horse as a means of transport, they did not subject themselves to
the jolt and jar of the trot. Trotting types were relegated to the be the
mounts of the poor. Even the Romans and Greeks understood the value of a good
ambling type, and referred to trotters as 'torture horses' or 'boneshakers'.
The mount for those who had choice was the smooth, easy-gaited ambling
types, known in the UK collectively as palfreys and latterly as Old English
Amblers. These horses possessed a fine riding gait which placed each foot on
the ground in rapid succession thus eliminating the jolt of the trot and the
roll of the pace. As this movement was based on the walk, the horses were
referred to as amblers, but their ground-covering sure-footed gait was much
more rapid than the walk.
As is still the case with many
things British, this lovely breed was allowed to disappear totally when the
improvement of the roads led to more carriages and the need for a comfortable
riding mount decreased. Now totally vanished from our 'green and pleasant
land' the genes of the Ambler still, fortunately, exist in the so called 'modern'
breed - the American Saddlebred.
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The pioneers of the New World took with them
the Amblers of the Old World, and prized them for all their enviable
qualities: smooth gait, sensible attitude, trainability, and courage. The
state of Kentucky lays claim to the development of the Saddlebred, with
Missouri making the point that they took it and improved upon it. Who knows?
One thing is sure, the judicious fusion of the blood of the Ambler and the
blood of the English Thoroughbred produced the finest saddle horse
imaginable.
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Known at first merely as the 'saddle horse'
- a name that has led to confusion in many modern day equine writers
- it soon became known as the Kentucky Saddler, and then ultimately
the American Saddlebred when it was adopted as America's national
breed. Formed in 1891 the registry for the breed was the very first
equine registry in America.
Once the invasion of the combustion engine was
complete, in order to survive the Saddlebred, like all other breeds,
had to find itself a niche in the pleasure market. Fortunately its
devotees were committed and passionate, and it occurred to them that
the growing industry of horse shows as entertainment would be the
ideal place for the Saddlebred.
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His natural high motion and glamorous
style were easily enhanced still further until the epitome
of everyone's equine dreamhorse was achieved. Flowing tails,
speedy flashy gaits, combined with an animated expression
and special charisma, meant the Saddlebred couldn't fail.
Soon he was known as the 'peacock of the show ring' and crowds
would gather from far and wide just to watch him perform,
and other breeds tried to emulate him.
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Some families within the breed exhibit a
stronger tendency towards the ambling gaits, some towards
the trot. Those that like to amble are easily encouraged to
perform this natural gait in two ways: the slow-gait and the
rack - and they are known as five-gaited horses. The two extra
gaits are four-beat in rhythm so there is only ever one foot
on the ground at a time and with very lofty knee motion, elastic
hocks, high neck carriage and superbly flexed poll, they executive
the slow-gait at speeds of 20mph-ish, and the rack at around
35mph, depending on the talent of the individual. These are
carried out without loss of form and with a smooth back for
the rider to sit on, giving the impression of gliding. Unlike
many other gaited breeds they also offer a superb and rhythmical
trot, so the owner of the five-gaited Saddlebred has the best
of both worlds.
Now with
the passing of time, there is a revival for the use of pleasure
horses in other disciplines such as dressage, endurance, three-day
evening, hunting etc. Although treasured and cosseted for
many generations as the finest show horse, the Saddlebred
is now also reminding everyone of his versatility background.
He easily turns his brilliant co-ordination with his hooves,
his intelligent reasonable attitude and his quick mind to
any discipline required of him. Many have represented the
USA in the regular sport horse disciplines; in endurance the
world champion for three consecutive years was a pure bred
gelding; and in driving he is difficult to surpass. However,
with outside riding so threatened by the increasingly horse-hostile
environment, perhaps it is the exciting show-ring horse with
his brilliant carriage and swift gaits that will be the future
of arena and park riding in the not too distant future.
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