Saddlebred Shows | American Saddlebred Horse Shows

SADDLEBRED SHOW CLASSES OFFERED IN SHOWS:
 
Via HSC's comprehensive online search tools for the public ( link offered above), classes offered to the American Saddlebred by individual shows are easy to find.  For a shorter list, at the bottom of this page, links are provided that allow you to view various show ads that offer specific Saddlebrered discipline classes.  Finding the classes that interest you is easy on HSC.   There are also links for ASB shows by state, by state.

THE FORMATION OF AMERICAN SADDLEBRED SHOWS:
 
Horse shows began spontaneously as America became settled enough that people had time for socializing. The American Horse was a vital facet of frontier life, dependable in front of a plow, or any other job asked of him.  He had to have stamina, strength, speed when needed, and he had to be dependable. With his intelligence and affection for his "family" the Saddlebred also endeared himself to the people who depended on him. Also if he could amble along in style while also giving his rider a comfortable ride, he was even more valuable and this is how Saddlebred Shows grew along with the country. As  communities grew and there was time for social activities, people attended  county fairs and special court days
 
With the invention of the car, instead of this horse disappearing, the traditional saddle and tack,  the clothing of the rider,  and way of riding became an icon.  Like the American cowboy with his Stetson, jeans, chaps, and heavy western stock saddle, the American Saddlebred rider continued the even earlier tradition of the English saddle suit, derby, and flat saddle (which antedated the English forward seat saddle). The horse left the dusty rural back roads for Saddlebred shows, because that was all that was left to him and the people who couldn't imagine a time without him.
 
With this transformation, the breeders had little use for a horse that could only walk, trot and canter. What they loved was a horse that had two additional gaits, one that would rack and slow gait, gaits that carried old memories of the four-beat staccato rhythm of a Saddlebred on a country road They worked to develop and train these two extra gaits so the horse remained "true" and separated his gaits to perfection. They had another quality they valued from the American past which was the boldness of a horse.
 
The worse thing these men could say about a horse at Saddlebred shows, was that he was a quitter.  This is because the best Saddlebreds were as fearless in battle as in the backwoods,  due to their high intelligence and confidence in themselves. Today we find this same quality in the best show animals -- a spirited horse with a bold disposition, a horse that thinks a lot of himself.
 
An effective marketing tool of the post-war era was the increased popularity of shows as public entertainment. The first exhibition was recorded near Lexington, Kentucky, in 1816, but the sport had grown over the years, with the first national horse show occurring at the St. Louis Fair in 1856. The gifted Saddlebreds dominated competition.
 
Despite the fact that during the late nineteenth century the American Saddle Horse was still very much a using animal, the rivalry at Saddlebred shows between breeders was intense. Gifted horsemen began making a living at training show horses.
 
A coal black stallion who was to make a great contribution in giving even greater status to shows and to the breed burst on to the show scene at St. Louis in 1893. In an illustrious career, the charismatic Rex McDonald was beaten only three times. He was idolized by the public and visited by presidents of the United States.

In Kentucky, an unusual colt of predominantly trotting blood, with a dash of Denmark, was foaled in 1900. Bourbon King became a sensation as a five gaited show stallion, winning the grand championship at the old Louisville Horse Show as a three-year-old. Living to the age of 30, Bourbon King was the great progenitor equine stars in American Saddlebred shows throughout the country as well as contributing to the ongoing excellence of the entire breed.

The Kentucky State Fair Horse Show, began in 1902 and was cancelled for only one year during World War II (1942).  In 1943 the show was staged at Churchill Downs to benefit injured soldiers.
 
The Kentucky State Fair Horse Show drew many regional patrons in its early years,  but in 1914 it began to draw attention from afar with the largest purse in the nation for what was then called the Commission of Agriculture Saddle Horse Stake. Purse money increased through the years and the event was re-named the Five-Gaited World Grand Championship. This show has become the most famous and well-attended of Saddlebred shows not just in American, but internationally.
 
In 1917, the Kentucky State Fair offered the first $10,000 five gaited stake and claimed to be the Worlds Championship and Easter Cloud became the first horse to be designated world champion.
 
There had been no bona fide world champion since the demise of the old St. Louis Fair around the turn of the century. Shows varied across the nation, from the high society affairs of New York and Los Angeles, to the great state fairs of the south and mid-west, to the county fairs which were more athletic competitions than society functions. The American Horse Shows Association was founded with a large number of Saddlebred people deeply involved. Through the decade of 1920, Saddlebred  shows continued to evolve, with format and rules becoming more standardized. Agriculture was still the mainstay of America, and most Americans understood and appreciated the athleticism and splendor of the animals. Individual stars such as CH Chief Of Longview, CH Sweetheart On Parade and CH Roxie Highland caught the public imagination.
 
In the 1920 sand 30 shows were taking place in Louisville, Kentucky, St. Louis, Missouri and San Francisco, California under the farm colors of some of the wealthiest families in America. Francis Dodge of the Dodge Motor Company and Mrs. William Roth of the Matson Shipping Lines in San Francisco were just two of the many who spent years showing and promoting their horses from coast to coast, putting them on trains crossing the country, entertaining people who flocked to horse shows as Americans struggled to bear up under the cloud of the Great Depression and the turmoil of World War II.
 
World War II put a damper on recreational activity, but in the second half of the 1940 decade, the excitement of Saddlebred shows revived with such stars as CH Oak Hill Chief and six-time World's Grand Champion CH Wing Commander. Hundreds of horse trainers plied their trade, particularly in rural areas. Mexico, Missouri, once home to the historic black horseman Tom Bass and now headquarters for trainers John Hook, Art Simmons, and a host of others, had a legitimate claim to the title "Saddle Horse Capital of the World."

World Grand Champion designations were added to the Three-Gaited and Fine Harness divisions in 1936 at the Kentucky State Fair Show. The additional world titles, combined with an ever-growing premium pot, solidified the international prominence of the show. This richest and most prestigious event for the American Saddlebred breed now attracts more than 2,000 horses from around the world.
 
By 1950, Saddlebred shows had become such a big part of American society that the great Five-Gaited World Champion, Wing Commander, appeared in Life magazine as an example of a fine athlete.

Today, the ASB breed is still a small one. With its registry laying claim to being the oldest registry in the country with an official date of 1891, the American Saddlebred Horse Assn, or ASHA, registers about 3000 horses per year. One fact remains, and that is that the ASB breed, unlike many others, retains its genetic diversity, its health, soundness, athleticism, and intelligence. The retention of those characteristics is due to the stewardship of those who never forgot its heritage or its trials, those people whose hearts beat a little faster at the sight of a good horse and the sound of its footfalls.
 
Numerous throughout the United States, there are now Saddlebred shows in every state of the country. Each year there is the  World Championship show with large class offerings and well-filled classes, in which international entries compete for the many World Champion and World Grand Championship titles.
 
There are many incentives offered in the US: Saddlebred Select honors achievements through a point system; Pleasure Horse Awards honor top pleasure horses each year; Sport Horse of the Year Awards recognize achievements in sport horse disciplines through a high point year-end program; Breeder Awards honors ASHA members who breed the winning horse in designated Stake and Championship classes at the World Championship show.
 
Saddlebred shows most often offer Three-Gaited, the world famous Five-Gaited, Fine Harness, Pleasure and Western classes, yet this breed of horse is very successful in many other disciplines too and shows are also held in the countries of South Africa, England, Germany and Canada to name a few. The American Saddlebred horse is well-established as an excellent show horse and is often called the "peacock of the show ring', providing quite universally acclaimed brilliant performances unlike any other breed.
 
Successful competitors in "A" rated USA Equestrian recognized Saddlebred shows are allowed by the ASB Record to earn the right to have "CH"(Champion) become part of their registered names and frequently classes provided by US shows are supported by National Futurities; Sweepstakes: and the ASB Grand National with considerable prize monies being offered as incentive to breed and exhibit those animals who most characterize the breed standards of show ring excellence.