Versatility flows in this American horse's veins

By Marty Metzger
Correspondent

It was the mid-1700s. Settlers in the English colonies of North America had recently developed an all-around horse: smooth and well mannered under saddle, yet able and willing to pull carriage or plow. Intelligence and stamina enabled this same breed to work cattle.

In the 1900s, as necessity transformed into hobby, dressage and show jumping appeared on these horses' corporate resume.

If all this versatility elicits a guess of Quarter Horse, guess again. This made-in-the-USA breed is the American Saddle Horse, also known as Saddlebred.

Horse owners personally unfamiliar with the Saddlebred might vaguely identify it as a high-headed, high-strung, high-stepping, high-tailed show ring diva. While breathtakingly gorgeous playing that role, Saddlebreds can and do perform any discipline for which they're trained. In the 1970s, a pleasantly noteworthy bay gelding proved this premise true.

Daredevil Chief was the offspring of a retired show mare, Starlet's Choice, purchased by a Michigan horse trader. He bred Star to Comet's Prince, a "backyard" Saddlebred stallion.

Until age 2, Chief romped with other youngsters, their dams and numerous rental horses the dealer leased out by the hour or month.

Before the candles on his second birthday cake were extinguished, Chief was trained under saddle and started as a rental horse. In that capacity, he caught the eye of an aspiring equestrienne who ultimately bought him for $325.

With limited riding experience (none in the show ring), but great expectations, Janie mimicked what she saw successful riders doing. A friend, armed with library books and horse magazines about saddle seat riding, coached her from the ground and while riding alongside on her own horse.

The two girls delighted in Chief's rapid-fire progress. Soon, he began winning in small, local shows, 4-H competitions and then large, regional events. Ultimately and regularly, Janie and Chief (aka Boog) triumphed over Saddlebreds valued in the tens of thousands of dollars. His only vices were a comical habit of dangling and flopping his tongue out the side of his mouth when being ridden (eliciting muted chuckles from show ring audiences as he rounded the arena), and shying in abject terror at the mere sight of any Pinto pony.

Between show ring performances, Chief carried Janie on trail rides along country roads, in wooded areas and even down residential streets. He was an enthusiastic jumper, too, easily clearing obstacles without hesitation. Chief went as well in Western saddle and curb bit as he did in a cutback show saddle and double bridle.

But the talented gelding wasn't alone on the trail or in show-bound trailers. Other Saddlebreds from the horse trader's barn proved the breed's endurance and versatility. Sound minds and bodies and endearing personalities combined in those good, all-around horses.

It's no wonder. The American Saddle Horse's blended family tree includes branches of Thoroughbreds and 1600s equines of Arabian and Andalusian ancestry imported into Canada by the French. The latter horses, which often traveled in a pacing gait, became known as Canadian Pacers. The mares, bred to Thoroughbreds, produced "Saddlers," cherished by people of the era.

A subtype, called the Narragansett Pacer that flourished in Rhode Island in the mid-1700s, displayed many of the qualities of today's Saddlebred. The horses gradually made their way down to Kentucky and Virginia.

Records weren't kept then, however, so it wasn't until April 1891 that a formal breed association was formed. That National Saddle Horse Breeders Association changed names in April 1899 to become today's American Saddle Horse Breeders Association.

Foundation animals can be found within two primary families, the Chiefs and the Denmarks. The former contains important names such as Mambrino Chief (foaled 1844); his son, Clark Chief; Harrison Chief; Bourbon Chief.

The Denmarks tout champions like Gaines Denmark 61 and Anacacho Denmark.

Other ancestral royalty include Anacacho Shamrock, Bourbon King, Wing Commander, Rex Peavine, King's Genius and Chief of Longview.

All Saddlebreds display the usual three gaits-: walk, trot, canter. Five-gaited individuals add the slow gait and rack, which are artificial, manmade rather than natural gaits. But, a horse must have an inherited capacity to learn and perform them.

The rack is a fast, exciting, rhythmical four-beat single-foot that is beautiful to observe and smooth to ride. It is, however, hard on the horse's front legs and hooves. Therefore, it should be maintained only for short periods of time - no longer than 10 to 15 minutes per training session for the novice horse. Quarter boots should always be used on the front feet to avoid injuries from cross firing (hind toe striking front heel).

The five-gaited Saddlebred also performs a slow gait. This unhurried, four-beat single-foot translates the rider's light rein contact into the mount's high head carriage and knee action. The picture is one of refined, relaxed animation.

Among Saddlebred show horse classifications are three-gaited, five-gaited, Country Pleasure, in-hand and fine harness, to showcase the breed's great versatility.

Size-wise, the breed ranges from pony height (around 14 hands) to 16+ hands.

One petite beauty was Jenning's Loribelle. Whether dolled up in braids and Saddle Seat show tack or in full Western regalia, this pint-sized chestnut mare (approximately 14.1 hands) usually exited the ring with trophy and ribbon.

She also cheerfully carried Sarah, her little, freckle-faced owner, along trails - sometimes bareback, guided merely with a halter and lead rope.

Another exceptional Saddlebred was a 7-year-old gelding rescued from certain doom at a weekly sale. The tall sorrel had initially been a highly talented show prospect injured in a freak accident.

The story read at the sale said his thick tail, then chopped off straight across just a couple inches below the bone, had once majestically dragged the ground like a bridal gown train.

One night, rather than neatly tying it up, a groom inadvertently left it hang naturally. The horse rolled in his stall and tangled long strands of the flowing locks around and around his hock. By morning, the gelding's leg was cut clear to the bone.

Veterinary care didn't help and soon infection and proud flesh tripled the hock's size. Swelling eventually worsened, going from stifle to fetlock.

The sorrel was sold to an Amish man who mercilessly drove him in harness until lameness crippled him. Then the man stopped feeding the "worthless" horse. Within a few weeks he dumped the lame, emaciated animal at the end-of-the-line sale.

The next buyer took a chance for a meager investment because he knew old-time cures. He used those home remedies on the enormous leg, which slowly but surely responded.

Within six months, the limb returned to normal size, leaving only a tiny scar. Lush pastures put back the 300 pounds the pathetic animal had lost. By autumn, the gelding was once again sound. His dull, dry coat became shiny. His depressed mood had brightened. And, he charmed a teenage girl who soon bought him.

This happy ending also has an astonishing twist. The girl suffered from epilepsy. Medication lessened the frequency and severity of her seizures but didn't completely eradicate them. She often didn't feel them coming on, heightening the potential danger of toppling off a horse, perhaps while cantering or jumping.

Once she bought the restored gelding, she was finally safe from that perilous possibility. Somehow, that horse could sense the seizures before they struck, even when the girl didn't. Regardless of the pair's pace or location (schooling ring, woods, roadside, pasture), he'd gently but quickly come to a complete stop on his own. His assessment was accurate every time.

The girl would soon slump over his neck or slide off the saddle to the ground in the grip of a petite mal seizure.

Once the frightening episode passed, horse and rider would continue on their way. That "worthless," throwaway gelding became the girl's loyal friend and staunch guardian. It was as if he repeatedly saved her from injury in repayment of the rescue afforded him.

While the Saddlebred population within northern Colorado is relatively small compared with some other breeds, they can be found for sale at equine online sale sites, such as www.dreamhorse.com, from private sellers through newspaper and magazine ads, and occasionally at public auction.

A good online resource for Saddlebred data, news, breeder locations and more is the national association's web site, www.asha.net. There are also sites for state organizations, including Colorado's, which can be accessed at www.saddlebred.com/ASHA-Charter-Clubs.

Whether a rider has dreams of mountain or prairie trail rides, show ring aspirations, or needs an agile, clever cow horse, somewhere there's an American Saddlebred waiting to fill the bill.