It all begins with retraining
Standie talents are many however like all former race horses there is rehabilitation and
retraining required in preparation for a new career. A vet inspection to determine
if there are any physical injuries that might prevent some of the more challenging equine
sports is always recommended first when you adopt a pacer. The Standardbred Fan Club's retraining video for
pacers walks you through teaching your horse to accept a saddle, ground work, lunging in a round ring,
your first ride and how to work with your horse on walk, trot and canter.
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Retired pacers are suited for endurance riding
Standardbred horses can be found in endurance riding and competitions all over the world!
Standardbreds are hardy and sturdy horses who have the stamina to ride very long distances over challenging terrain.
The horses are also praised for their sensible temperaments.
See some of our talented club members and horses competing in Endurance and Three Day Eventing.
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Volume can be adjusted on controls
Retired pacers are jumpers too
Standardbred horses can be found in jumping competitions everywhere however
retraining is necessary for this
equine sport since the pacing gait is not at all useful for jumping.
The Club's retraining video prepares your horse with the necessary basic gaits of trot and canter so you can take your horse to the next level with an instructor
to become a jumper. The video (above) is of a retrained pacer who is warming up for a Jumping
competition in the prestigious Southlands Summer Show in Vancouver, BC., Canada held every year.
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Standardbred Fan Club members riding in English and Western styles
Western and English riding
Standardbred horses can be taught different riding styles such as English equitation and western pleasure riding.
Many standardbreds from the race track who have been retrained can participate in competitions just like horses who were
trotting and cantering from birth. Wellknown for their excellent temperaments, the horses are dependable and reliable partners in
any undertaking.
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Standardbred Fan Club members enjoying trail riding on their favorite Standie
Trail riding horses par excellence
Standardbred horses are perhaps best known for their excellence as a trail riding partner.
The horses don't scare easily, are laid back in their temperaments and love the
fresh air and exploring the trails. Not much work has to go into trailering the horses
since part of their former racing career involved transporting them to the race tracks.
For the nicest and most reliable trail riding partner, the former pacing race horses
are hard to beat. Besides, the pacing gait is quite comfortable to ride on in the trails!
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Standardbred Fan Club member Becky with Venus showing the elegance of Dressage riding
Dressage naturals
Standardbred horses with retraining can be
very graceful and strong bodied dressage partners. The pacing gait is not recognized in the sport of dressage however
with retraining the former racing pacers become very proficient in mastering 'the art of riding'. The horses have the
aptitude and again, amazing calm and steady personalities to excel in this type of riding, competitively as well.
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The versatile Standardbred horse
Police work, parades, search & rescue
The versatile Standardbred is suited for almost any sport or riding that exists.
Due to the reliable and brave personalities of almost all Standardbred horses, the
breed is also selected for police work and in Canada, the famous RCMP Musical Rides which is comprised of black colored Standardbreds.
The dependability factor rates high with former pacers because not only have they had to brave the noises and crowds at the
race tracks, they also have an inborn trait of not panicking at the slighest opportunity. This also makes the former race horses
ideal for search and rescue work and as participants in parades.
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The versatile Standardbred horse
Gentle and healing therapy horses
In Canada and internationally, Felicia the Club's founder, developed the first non-riding therapy with horses to assist children with autism,
youth at risk with new life skills and post-traumatic distress including other similar conditions. All of the horses in the pioneer non-riding therapy had been
rescued from slaughter and were former pacing race horses. Other countries soon found the versatile Standardbred ideal for
riding therapies and non-riding therapy. Today, horse therapy is recognized widely as a branch of Animal Therapy.
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