If you are back for another horse breed breakdown, thank you. If this is your first time here reading a blog about horse breeds feel free to check out the horse breeds tag here on Grey2Bay. We are here to fill you in on all the tea, even if its just breed standards, facts and more. With that being said lets get into it.

Thoroughbreds (TB’s), OTTB’s and racehorses are the superstars of horses globally. Bred in 17th & 18th century England, these “hot blooded” horses are the basis of many breeds we know and love today. The breed is known for its inherent agility, speed and spirit. Which makes sense given they are made from foundation Arabians, Barbs and Turkoman horses. While Arabians are just as common as the average Quarter horse or Thoroughbred, Barbs and horses like the Akhal Teke are lesser known breeds. While there are millions of Thoroughbreds born, raised and bred each year, each one can be traced back to one of three main studs or stallions. Byerly Turk, Darley Arabian and Godolphin Arabian were those studs and they influence everything TB today.

In 1730 the first Thoroughbreds were brought to North America, mostly for sport, but mostly to continue the breed as the world moved west. TB’s have primarily been used for racing, but sometimes end up being some of the best sporthorses, polo ponies, fox hunting horses and more.

These 15.2-17 hh horses are known for their long necks, high withers, deep chests, well defined faces, short backs and their famous long legs. Most colors are accepted by the stub book, which has been the oldest stud book the horse world has ever seen. To be registered with the Jockey Club the horse must be conceived via live covering. While these horses are “purebred”, people sometimes refer to purebred horses as “thoroughbreds” as they used to be the only breed tracked via stud book and confirmed pure through tedious record keeping.

These horses have an average height of 16 hh, and pack a mean punch on the racetrack. Notable names are Secretariat, American Pharoah, Flightline, Barbaro and more. There are hundreds of race horses that have contributed to the breeding pool, had strong storylines, ran races faster than any other, ones that have had fans unlike any other four legged athlete in its past. They are superstars in their own right.

With that in mind many Thoroughbreds have made it into many breed books globally. While your horse as a registered Thoroughbred it cannot be double registered in another book, however the mares can be approved by the books so that their offspring many be registerable later. Books like Hanoverian, Holsteiner, GOV or German Oldenburg and the American Warmblood will happily accept a well bred, and reputable representation of the breed.

A great example of this is Blueprint MSH otherwise known to the horse community as “Banksy”, the homebred foal of Shelby Dennis. Shelby Dennis, also known as “Milestone Equestrian” is a reputable horse trainer and instructor in British Columbia, Canada. She has 20 years of experience with horses, and uses science based positive reinforcement and basic horse theory to retrain the breed off the track and into any all around home they could possibly desire. She hopes to use all of her knowledge to make Banksy her next sporthorse. He was awarded Premium at the GOV inspection, and boasts a beautiful TB dam, In Fine Fashion, and by Oldenburg stallion Banderas. That leaves little to no doubt that he is a fine specimen, it makes me happy that he is half Thoroughbred.

I currently have little to no experience with the breed except for the few at my various work places. I have more experience handling and hanging with their sister breed “Appendixes” or “Running Quarters”, the ultimate cross breed of Quarter horses and TB’s. Stanley a super handsome huge gelding at Webb was a Running Quarter, and he left an impact. I know how sweet, willing, and personable they can be. Shiloh a true Thoroughbred at Chaparral used to run at Golden Gate Fields, and he was so goofy, almost silly dumb and also left a lasting hoof print.

These horses have a lot to offer my riding journey. I hope you guys will get to see me working with them more often going forward, until then favorite the link to the breeds tag so you can always find the facts you need, when you need them.