The Fast-Racing Thoroughbred Horse

By Leslie Brown

The Thoroughbred, an athletic riding horse, is the world’s racehorse. Having great endurance and speed, you can see Thoroughbreds racing daily at tracks around the world. Originally bred in seventeenth century Britain due to the Englishmen’s emerging passion for fast race horses, the Thoroughbred is considered to be the choice breed for race tracks.Pedigrees of Thoroughbreds trace their ancestry to one of the original Arabian foundation stallions. Bred to native racing stock, they produced offspring that were fast and strong. Often used to add refinement and athleticism to many pony and warm blood breeds, many sport horses have Thoroughbreds in their ancestry.

Spending its first year developing size and power, the young racing Thoroughbred begins training when he’s a yearling. The horse learns to accept a saddle and bridle, a rider on his back, and ultimately to break from a starting gate and run around a track. Most of the race track champions come from Kentucky, and the state has more Thoroughbred horse farms than anywhere else in the world.

Although primarily bred as a race horse, Thoroughbreds are also used in many English disciplines such as jumping, dressage, and hunting, although many are now being bred as riding horses only. Thoroughbreds are commonly raised for “eventing,” which includes a Triathelete combination of dressage, cross country, and stadium jumping. To be successful, they need to have the great endurance and speed for which they are bred. For these horses, 9-years old is typically a peak age, with 13 being almost middle aged because the sport is so rigorous.

Their predominant color is dark brown or bay, although the Thoroughbred comes in every solid color, including gray and sometimes a reddish chestnut color. White markings such as stars, blazes, stockings, and socks are common on the coat of a Thoroughbred horse. Their unique characteristics include a fine, sleek-hair coat, long-sloping shoulders, a long forearm, lean muscle, powerful haunches, a deep, wide chest, and an energetic and athletic tendency.

Many of the world's horse breeds have benefited at some time from the addition of Thoroughbred blood. If a horse is not fast enough, it is typically bred with a Thoroughbred for their quick reactions. The advantage of a mixing a Thoroughbred with another breed is that you can avoid the “spookiness” of the horse. The Thoroughbred has also had influence on other breeds, such as the American Standard bred, the popular choice for harness racing. Thoroughbreds that once raced but are now riding horses are called OTTBs or Off-the-Track-Thoroughbreds.

As with dog breeds, Thoroughbreds need to be registered to prove their lineage before breeding. When they are born, they are tattooed on the gum or lip with their registry numbers. Thoroughbreds in America are born in the spring, but regardless of the actual date, January 1st is their official birthday.

When owners of racing Thoroughbreds find that their horses are not fast enough out of the racing gate, they are either sold or kept as pets or may even be put down. There are those who oppose Thoroughbred racing as a business, wanting to eliminate gambling on horses that are pushed too fast too young, and are therefore easily prone to injury.

Because Thoroughbreds have been bred to be fast, athletic, and spirited, they don't always make the best horses for the beginning rider. For the intermediate and advanced rider, they are the ultimate ride with smooth flowing gaits and powerful athleticism.

The horse pictured jumping here is Eli, my nephew’s horse. His horse is part Thoroughbred and part Hanoverian. The family looked for this mix because of the Hanoverian warmblood, bred to be willing and trainable, and their excellence at dressage. With the Thoroughbred cross, this 13-year old horse is also perfect for jumping and running eventing.

To share your own comments, please add them here.