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Thoroughbreds originated in England. Through the crusades the English bred heavy horses that could do hard work and carry a man in full armor. In the Middle East lighter horses were being bred for their stamina and speed.
In 1690 Captain Robert Byerley captured a stallion of mostly Middle Eastern blood. He rode this stallion through the remainder of the war and then brought it home to England. He began to breed it with the native mares. The horse lived for six more years siring many important horses and becoming the greatest contributor to the Herod line of thoroughbreds along with Highflyer the son of Herod. This stallion is entered in the studbooks as Byerly Turk, the last ‘e’ being accidentally omitted.
In 1704 Thomas Darley shipped a stallion to England from Aleppo. He began selectively breeding this stallion to some of the native racing mares. The first great racing horse was born; by name, Flying Childers. Darley Arabian was the greatest contributor to Eclipse. Ninety percent of all of the registered Thoroughbreds can be traced back to Eclipse.
The third foundation sire was Godolphin Arabian. He was brought to England in 1728 by Lord Godolphin. Most of the Matchem line can be attributed to him.
The descendants of these sires were bred and crossbred to create a horse that was very fast, yet strong. Almost all of the selective breeding was for one purpose, to produce the fastest horse on the track. It has a wide girth for a large lung capacity, and strong legs for hard running. The shoulder is long and sloped to allow a greater stride. The hind leg is long so that it can gain greater ground quickly. Everything about the breed suggests speed.
The horses were shipped to America almost with the first settlers. Governor Samuel Ogle established racing competitions in Annapolis in 1745. Colonel Sanders D. Bruce started a studbook in the late 1800’s. Soon after the Jockey Club took over the responsibility and continues to do it today.
Today Thoroughbred racing is a multi-billion dollar a year business. There are more Thoroughbreds in the United States than anywhere else in the world. The U.S is looked up to by the other countries that race. Last year over 55,000 foals were registered.
These foals all have the official birth date of January 1 no matter when they where born. They are trained to ride as yearlings and start racing at two. Many of them are injured within a few years and have to be retired or sold.
Thoroughbreds average sixteen hands high but are often taller or shorter. They are usually brown, bay, chestnut, black and they can be found in gray.
The Thoroughbreds temperament makes them less likely candidates for many other sports. They tend to be flighty and high strung, though many can be gentled to work quite well in other disciplines. They are used to working with people and having many handlers, because they are started so young. The Thoroughbred has also been known to be very corageous.
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