5 reasons the Standardbred Horse is underrated

You want a cheap good looking, sound horse that will not be expensive to keep. Look no further.

To begin with look at the two Standardbred horses shown below. Rosie is the first horse. She stood 15.1hh and weighed a bit under 1200lbs in fit condition with 8,5 inches of bone below the knee. I retired her aged 20 and she had six more happy years. In this picture Rosie was 18 years young.

Standardbreds are generally good at the following activities

• Hunting
• Hunter trials
• Endurance riding
• General hacking
• Frequently they show jump well but on tight turns they can break from true canter using their hind end

5 good things about standardbreds

• Strong well made feet with good pastern angulation
• Sensible but athletic personality
• Easy to keep weight on
• Good looking
• Considerable stamina

How do Standardbreds compare to Thoroughbreds

Standardbreds look like less refined thoroughbreds with larger frames and a longer back. Some do have upright shoulders and are very croup high but many are not built this way.

What can’t a Standardbred do?

People often claim Standardbreds cannot canter. They also say, if a Standardbred is bred to pace then they will not trot. Both are incorrect, but this is why they are cheap to buy.

Standardbred are not suitable for dressage, polo or for eventing because they find it hard to canter in circles with balance. However they can canter and trot. Teach them to canter on the straight because at best cantering on a circle is stilted, but this is nothing to do with soundness. Many standardbreds just cannot canter in circles due to their conformation for trotting or pacing. Standardbreds can have a rough transition from gallop to canter. This feels like a pneumatic drill but you will get used to it.

Is a Standardbred for you

Well this depends what you are interested in. If you like the activities a Standardbred can do and want a cheap, good looking horse, then look no further.