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The Standardbred is an American horse breed best-known for its ability in harness racing, where members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the breed can trace its bloodlines to 18th-century England. The Standardbred is recognized worldwide. They are solid, well-built horses with good dispositions. In addition to harness racing, the Standardbred is used for a variety of equestrian activities — including horse shows and pleasure riding — particularly in the midwestern and eastern United States, and southern Ontario. ==History== In the 17th century, the first trotting races were held in the Americas, usually in fields on horses under saddle. However, by the mid-18th century, trotting races were held on official courses, with the horses in harness. Breeds that have contributed foundation stock to the Standardbred breed included the Narragansett Pacer, Canadian Pacer, Thoroughbred, Norfolk Trotter, Hackney, and Morgan. The foundation bloodlines of the Standardbred trace to a Thoroughbred foaled in England in 1780 named Messenger.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Standardbred )〕 He was a gray stallion imported to the United States in 1788. He sired a number of flat racing horses, but was best known for his great-grandson, Hambletonian 10, also known as Rysdyk's Hambletonian, foaled in 1849 and considered the foundation sire of the breed and from whom all Standardbreds descend.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Messenger )〕 Hambletonian 10 was out of a dam with Norfolk Trotter breeding, and the mare and foal were purchased by William Rysdyk, a farm hand from New York state, who successfully raced the colt as a three-year-old against other horses. The horse went on to sire 1,331 offspring, 40 of whom trotted a mile in under 2 minutes 30 seconds.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Golden Age of the Trotting Horse )〕 Another influential sire was the Thoroughbred Diomed, born in 1777. When the sport started to gain popularity, more selective breeding was done to produce the faster harness trotter. The Standardbred breed registry was formed in United States in 1879 by the National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders.〔 The name arose due to the "standard" required of breeding stock, to be able to trot or pace a mile within a certain time limit.〔 Every Standardbred had to be able to trot a mile in less than two minutes and 30 seconds.〔(The Stallion Place ) Retrieved 2010-2-8〕 Today, many Standardbreds are faster than this original standard, with several pacing the mile within 1 min, 50 sec, and trotters only a few seconds slower than pacers. Slightly different bloodlines are found in trotters than in pacers, though both can trace their heritage back to Hambletonian 10. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Standardbred」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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