Training a Standardbred to do dressage

[Texarkana]

@ravenclaw

Question for anyone - If you want a Standardbred to be a sport horse and for showing, do trotters generally have an easier time learning to canter than pacers? Or does it depend on the horse? I have always wondered if the extra gear (the pace) makes it more difficult for them to canter.

Also - are there more pacers that are bred/available and not as many trotters?

Far from an expert, but I think it depends on the horse.

About a million years ago when I used to work at summer camps, we’d get a lot of Standardbreds off the track. Some pacers wouldn’t trot or canter ever, some pacers had wonderful trots and canters. Some trotters are fast/strong at the trot, some settle in fine.

My pacer mare, who never paces these days, is very quick to offer the canter.

If you pick up one through an aftercare organization that starts them under saddle, many have already had experience at the canter under saddle. I know that was a big selling point for me with my mare.

[jvanrens]

@eightpondfarm

I think they wear hobbles in the races too

Most do,there really isn’t anything to be sad about, it just helps keep them at the pace, and it’s actually spelled hopples. All ours do, we’ve only had one free legged pacer, though some of them could do training miles without their hopples.

[jvanrens]

@ravenclaw

If you want a Standardbred to be a sport horse and for showing, do trotters generally have an easier time learning to canter than pacers?

A lot of the STBs I see on the FB groups being used as sport horses tend to be pacers for the most part, but I think that might be due to sheer numbers compared to trotters.

[Texarkana]

@jvanrens

@ravenclaw

If you want a Standardbred to be a sport horse and for showing, do trotters generally have an easier time learning to canter than pacers?

A lot of the STBs I see on the FB groups being used as sport horses tend to be pacers for the most part, but I think that might be due to sheer numbers compared to trotters.

Not totally sure about this, but I think the fact that the Amish want trotters further reduces the number of trotters available to riding homes. They will pay decent money for a trotter; more than the typical riding home would pay for a green low level horse.

[jvanrens]

@Texarkana

@jvanrens

@ravenclaw

If you want a Standardbred to be a sport horse and for showing, do trotters generally have an easier time learning to canter than pacers?

A lot of the STBs I see on the FB groups being used as sport horses tend to be pacers for the most part, but I think that might be due to sheer numbers compared to trotters.

Not totally sure about this, but I think the fact that the Amish want trotters further reduces the number of trotters available to riding homes. They will pay decent money for a trotter; more than the typical riding home would pay for a green low level horse.

After spending “a few” years at the track, I can tell you there are a lot more races for pacers than trotters. We haven’t had a trotter in the barn for years, because unless you’re racing at the bigger tracks, you’re really limited in classes available for trotters. At our local track there might be 4 trotting races over two nights racing out of 20 races. This will of course vary, but when classes are hard to fill, they get dropped.

The Amish will also pay decent money for a pacer that will trot along at a decent speed, not so much for a free legged pacer.

[eightpondfarm]

@jvanrens

free legged pacer.

by that you mean…they will maintain their pace without having to be hoppled?

[jvanrens]

Yes. That’s what a free legged pacer means. They have to qualify to race without them if they’ve previously been qualified to race with. I can’t claim to what the rules are for trotters are (trotters can wear them too), my DH says those have changed recently, but he hasn’t kept up, since we don’t have one currently.

[rhershock]

I have a pacer that raced for about 4 years and then was retired. It has taken the better part of the 6 years that I have owned him to get a decent canter but he always had a “canter” of some sort. And he would offer canter in turnout on his own.

[EventerAJ]

I know next to nothing about STBs but I’m enjoying this topic and learning about them. Thank you to all the STB owners who are sharing your lovely horses.