Wiki » Horses » Breeds » American Saddlebred

The American Saddlebred, as its name suggests, originated in the United States. The breed was developed in the 18th century as a riding horse for on plantations. Because of its comfortable gaits, people could stay in the saddle all day. The ‘Kentucky Saddler’ also proved its usefulness in the American civil wars.

The Saddlebred is best known for its gaits. They have extreme knee movement, which, combined with the tölt, makes them very popular as show horses. They carry their graceful head high and have expressive eyes and fine ears. The back is short and the hindquarters long. One likes to see a long, high carried tail. They come in many colours, but chestnut, bay and black are the most common. They are between 1.53m and 1.65m tall.

They are pliant, friendly, intelligent and active horses.

• Obedience: 18 points
  
• Agility: 30 points
  
• Stamina: 10 points
  
• Speed: 20 points
  
• Strength: 22 points

Click here to go to the breed statistics.

These are the available genes among the American Saddlebred.

• Basic (black/ chestnut)
  
• Agouti
  
• Grey
  
• Rose
  
• Fleabitten
  
• Flaxen
  
• Liver
  
• Cream
  
• Silver
  
• Champagne
  
• Kit: tobiano, sabino, roan
  
• Splash
  
• Frame

Patterns are shown here on the most common colour of the breed, but can occur on any colour.

Mane lengths are shown here on the most common colour of the breed.

This breed was designed by Mitnait.