Page 41 - July 2016

THE ORIGIN OF SPEED
by Larry Thornton
From the pedigree perspective, where does speed in a racehorse come from? As pedigree buffs, we start looking for individuals in the pedigree that give us the speed we want in our racehorses. Then, we see those famous individuals that always appear as a special source of speed. We call them “hallmarks” and that designates them as special contributors in the scheme of things, giving us a simple approach to where the speed comes from as we look through the pedigree.
But have you ever wondered, where did
it all start? Where did speed come from in the horse that made them good racehorses? It originally came from a horse’s need, as an animal of flight, to get away from predators. He needed to be fast or he would be the predator’s dinner.
When domestication came along and the horse became a beast of burden, and then as a riding horse, speed was still a factor. Speed to get away from your enemies or, in some cases, to catch your enemies. It seems that speed has always been there in one form or another.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Now, let’s move forward and take a look at one place where speed in the horse became important in the development of our modern
racehorse. This move forward will take us to Ireland where, in the 13th century, they began developing a breed known as the Irish Hobby. The Irish Hobby would become the racehorse of the Irish and a breed known for its speed. The Irish Hobby would become one of the foundation breeds of the modern Thoroughbred and the American Quarter Horse.
Alexander Mackay-Smith, the famous historian and author, in his book Speed And The Thoroughbred - The Complete History, tells us that the three sources of speed for the Thoroughbred were the Irish Hobby, a group of horses known as the English Running- horses, and the Turcoman Arabians. The English Running-horses were the native English racehorse and they were sprint-type horses. The Turcoman Arabians were later introduced to enhance the development of stamina in the sprint-type horse. Mackay- Smith indicates that the first source of speed was the Irish Hobby.
Mackay-Smith dedicated a chapter to the Irish Hobby. He tells us that the history of the Irish and racing goes back some 3,000 years. He uses examples of poetry to verify the racing interest of the Irish. He noted the Irish Hobbies were raced by “rival nobles and chieftains.” The breed was noted for its
The success of the Irish Hobby led to their extinction, and the remnant of the breed is found in the Irish Draught Horse and the Connemara Pony.
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SPEEDLINES