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American Saddlebred Breed History

Many people today tend to think of the American Saddlebred as a "refined, elegant" horse bred just for the show ring. They couldn't be more wrong! Saddlebreds can do just about anything you set them to do. In the USA, American Saddlebreds, as well as being used for the usual equine events like endurance, show jumping, dressage, carriage events and so on, are also used in the police force and, in Canada, the mounties also use American Saddlebreds. As well as having great endurance, they are intelligent and have a no-nonsense approach to life.

The ancestors of Saddlebreds were originally bred for endurance, stamina and comfort - and they were work horses. "Americans valued horses that could pull a plow all week, prance haughtily in front of the family's carriage on Sunday, and be ridden comfortably astride whenever the master of the farm (or plantation) needed to travel long distances to survey his land or visit neighbours." Today, the symbol of prestige is the car - the fancier the car, the more prestige is granted the owner - in the 1800s the horse had this role. The ideal horse was strong, versatile, had endurance and comfortable saddle gaits and was also beautiful and had style. And of course the owners of these prized possessions wanted to show them off. County fairs in the USA, already major social events, also became venues for buying, selling and just showing off their horses - and grew!

The American Civil War interrupted the growing trend to show off horses at horse shows. Saddle Horses were prized as mounts for the cavalry, both in the North and in the South.

"Horses who were the forebears of today's Saddlebred continued to build legendary reputations even during the war. Many Saddle Horses spent the war years serving as mounts for Civil War generals. Two Thoroughbred sires' names that frequently appear on Saddlebred pedigrees were Grey Eagle and Lexington. General Robert E. Lee's famous horse Traveller was by Grey Eagle. Traveller became nearly as famous as the general himself. The Thoroughbred racehorse Lexington sired General Sherman's horse (also named Lexington). General U.S. Grant's two horses, Charger and Cincinnati were also sired by Lexington. General George Meade rode Baldy, a gaited Saddle Horse, while the smooth saddle gaits of Little Sorrell carried Stonewall Jackson through the war. The Confederate commands of Generals John Hunt Morgan and Nathan Bedford Forrest were mounted almost exclusively on American Saddle Horses - these horses became known for great feats of endurance during the war."

American Saddlebreds, during the golden years of film and television (1940s-1950s), were also greatly prized as performers, because of their responsiveness and great personalities. One equine star that immediately springs to mind is the lovable palomino talking horse of 1950's-60's television, Mr. Ed. His real name was Bamboo Harvester. Another American Saddlebred featured in movies and T.V. was Black Beauty and Fury (actually one horse - a black Saddlebred Stallion named Highland Dale, from very grand bloodlines which included Rex Peavine, Forest King, Thornton's Star and Rex Denmark). He was the second highest paid animal star in Hollywood in his heyday (after Lassie). In the Walt Disney film Zorro! a 5-gaited black Saddlebred named Black Diamond was cast as the star's horse.

Today, the actor William Shatner of Star Trek fame, breeds, trains, rides and drives American Saddlebreds. In the Star Trek movie, Generations, he was featured in one sequence riding his prized American Saddlebred mare, Great Belles of Fire.

Saddlebreds can be trained quite easily - another reason why they are in demand for movies and television. Perhaps one deserves recognition as being the most unique equine performer of all time - the last registered son of Rex Peavine. "A curious enterprising man named Hugh Winkler from Newman, Illinois, obtained this horse. In an effort to earn money during the depression [1920s], Winkler trained the stallion to roller skate. Yes, roller skate. The horse was named, aptly enough, Two-Step!"

Today, the American Saddlebred has slowly spread around the world and his worth is acclaimed by enthusiasts everywhere. There are Breed Associations recognised by the American Saddlebred Horse Association (USA) in Australia (The American Saddlebred Horse Association of Australia Inc.), in Canada, in South Africa and the UK and interest is growing in Europe. There are even a few horses (imported from Australia) in The Philippines! Now in Australia, after a long period of negotiation between ASHAA (Australia) and ASHA(USA), purebred horses bloodtyped (and since 2002 DNA typed) and registered with ASHAA Inc. can be registered in the American registry, with the export market as an aim.

For those unfamiliar with the history of Saddlebreds in Australia, this began in the early 1970s, when the first horses were imported from the USA by Americans Ron and Gail Besaw. The first home of the Saddlebred horse in Australia was Sutton Farm (near Moss Vale) in the Southern Highlands of NSW, originally a Cobb & Co. coaching stop. Sutton Farm was refurbished and expanded with an immense Kentucky style stable block and (at that time) advertising the largest indoor arena in the Southern Hemisphere. Though today no longer a Saddlebred farm, horse activities continue at the now Highlands Equestrian Centre.

Ten horses, all from top US bloodlines were brought in to start the breed here. Six of the ten were mares in foal to American stallions and within 4 days of their arrival by plane (via NZ) there were four foals at Sutton Farm, one of which was Suttons Anacacho King out of Vanity's Compass Rose (her sire was the brilliant Vanity's Sensation of Crebilly USA). Anacacho King had a major impact on the ASHAA studbook.

The foundation stallions standing at stud at Sutton Farm were Bright Guy (Gallant Guy O'Goshen x Stonewall's Ruth E.), Goldmount Challenger (Stonewall Sensation x Belvedere's Golden Flicka), Knolland Dark Demon (Patent Leather Stonewall x Black Apple) and Peppermint Valley Supreme (Valley View Supreme x Wild Ginger). Many of the American Saddlebreds in Australia today are descended from these stallions. Bright Guy was the sire and grandsire of a number of our current stallions today, including Wildmoors Buccaneer, "Buck", the Brisbane Broncos mascot. Bright Guy was a spectacular harness champion.

Of the seven original mares imported into Australia, one, a grey mare Knolland Misty Moonlight, died en route due to an accident in quarantine. She was in foal to the US stallion Private Contract - a great loss to the Australian breeding programme. However, the six remaining mares also came from impeccable bloodlines, including Valley View Supreme, Vanity's Sensation of Crebilly and Stonewall Sensation.

Initially, Saddlebreds in Australia were promoted the "American way" by the Besaws in fine harness, parade and gaited. A few enthusiastic devotees of gaiting endeavoured to gain more recognition, but primarily Saddlebreds were (and are) used as hacks, in harness, in endurance or in dressage. It should be said though that a properly trained 3-gaited or 5-gaited Saddlebred is electrifying to watch in the show ring. In the show ring, the rack (a four beat gait in which each foot meets the ground at equal, separate intervals) is spectacular to watch. The rack is smooth and highly animated, performed with great action and speed, in a slightly unrestrained manner. and a well-trained Saddlebred can bring the crowd to its feet, cheering. The cheering of the crowd actually seems to spur the horse to excel itself even more!

Perhaps I should say at this point something about what actually is a 3-gaited or 5-gaited horse to those unfamiliar with the terms. In other breeds, there are three gaits - the walk, the trot and the canter. For the American Saddlebred, there are two additional gaits - the slow gait and the rack (described above). The slow gait was developed from the pace to be a four beat gait with each of the four feet contacting the ground separately. In the takeoff, the lateral front and hind feet start almost together, but the hind foot contacts the ground slightly before its lateral forefoot. The slow gait is a highly collected gait with most of the propulsion coming from the hindquarters, while the forequarters assist in the pull of the final beats. The slow gait is not a medium rack. The slow gait is a restrained, four beat gait, executed slowly but with true and distinct precision. Speed is penalised. It is high, lofty, brilliant and restrained, denoting the style, grace, and polish of the horse. In the show ring, the slow gait is a sight to behold if executed well.

In the late 1980s, some members wanting to widen existing bloodlines, undertook the arduous and expensive task of importing stallions into Australia. The black stallion Mecca's Midnight Son (Night Symbol x Genius Jezebel) was imported and stood in Queensland. Around the same time, another imported stallion, the 5-gaited Romantic Contract (Sultans Contract x I'll Take Romance) was also "in the wings", arrangements being made for his arrival into Australia. Coincidentally, this stallion's grandsire was Private Contract, bred to Knolland Misty Moonlight, one of the original imported mares who died in quarantine carrying his foal. More recently, I Ring Bells (Last Sensation x Belle Fox) was imported into Victoria. And even more recently, a breeder in Victoria imported four purebred mares from the USA which have all produced foals to an Australian stallion. Another ASHAA American member has relocated to Australia and has also brought her two stallions, one of which is Moonlight Hy-Status (Moonlight Hy Colour On Cue x Hopeful's Carbon Copy) a black and white pinto, and the other Dreamer's Midnight Commander a black son of the famous US stallion Mandate DHF x Looky's Supersweet. Another import also currently standing in Victoria is the black stallion Sovrans Midnight Express (IMP USA) (Sultan's Black Sovran x Swan).

ASHAA, as an incorporated Association, is autonomous, has it's own Rules and Constitution, and is administered by an Australian Board of Directors. In December 1995 a major initiative was introduced - bloodtyping of Australian-bred American Saddlebreds. With bloodtyping in force and now DNA typing, the Australian registry is now in line with ASHA(USA) standards and also with Australian industry standards.

(author: Lynne Wirth)

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American Saddlebred Breed History