Narragansett Pacer
Encyclopedia
The Narragansett Pacer was the first horse breed
developed in the United States, but is now extinct. It was developed in the United States during the 18th century and associated closely with the state of Rhode Island
, and it had become extinct by the late 19th century. The Pacer was developed from a mix of English and Spanish breeds
, although the exact cross is unknown, and they were known to and owned by many famous personages of the day, including George Washington
. Sales to the Caribbean and cross-breeding diminished the breed to the point of extinction, and the last known Pacer died around 1880.
The Narragansett was possibly an ambling
horse, rather than a true pacing breed. It was known as a sure footed, dependable breed, although not flashy or always good looking. Pacers were used for racing and general riding. They were frequently crossed with other breeds, and provided the foundation for several other American breeds, including the American Saddlebred
, Standardbred and Tennessee Walking Horse.
breeds. The breed was especially associated with the state of Rhode Island in the early 18th century, but had become extinct by the late 19th century. It was known as the first breed of horse developed in America. The exact origins of the breed are unknown. However, it is probably that it developed from a cross between English "ambling" horses and Spanish breeds
. These Spanish breeds often included bloodlines that included lateral gaits
. The horses that developed from this cross were known for their smoothness and sure-footedness over poor terrain. It is theorized that the English horses which contributed to the Narragansett Pacer descended from were members of the Irish Hobby
breed; another possible ancestor is the Galloway pony
. In the early 18th century, William Robinson, the Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island, began the serious development of the breed with a stallion named "Old Snip"—speculated to be either an Irish Hobby or an Andalusian
and considered the father of the breed.
In 1768, George Washington
owned and raced a Narragansett Pacer, while in 1772 Edmund Burke
asked an American friend for a pair. Paul Revere
possibly rode a Pacer during his 1775 ride to warn the Americans of a British march. The extinction was due mainly to the breed being sold in such large numbers to sugar cane planters in the West Indies that breeding stock was severely diminished in the United States. The few horses that were left were crossbred to create and improve other breeds and the pure strain of the Narragansett soon became extinct. North Carolina
was also a noted breeder of the Narragansett, with breeding stock having been brought to the area as early as 1790 by early pioneers. The last known Pacer, a mare
, died around 1880.
The Narragansett Pacer was not exclusively a pacing horse, as there is strong evidence that it exhibited an ambling
gait, which is a four beat intermediate-speed gait, while the pace is a two beat intermediate-speed gait. The amble is more comfortable to ride than the pace, and Narragansett Pacers were known for their qualities as both riding and driving horses. They averaged around high and were generally chestnut
in color. James Fenimore Cooper
described them as follows: "They have handsome foreheads, the head clean, the neck long, the arms and legs thin and tapered."; however, another source stated "The hindquarters are narrow and the hocks a little crooked..." but also said, "They are very spirited and carry both the head and tail high. But what is more remarkable is that they amble with more speed than most horses trot, so that it is difficult to put some of them upon a gallop." Other viewers of the breed rarely called them stylish or good-looking, although they considered them dependable, easy to work with and sure footed.
population allowed races when the greater part of Puritan
New England did not. Pacers reportedly covered the mile tracks in a little more than two minutes.
The Narragansett Pacer played a significant role in the creation of the American Saddlebred
, the Standardbred and the Tennessee Walking Horse. The breed was also combined with French pacers to create the Canadian Pacer
, a breed especially suited to racing over ice and which also contributed substantially to the creation of the Standardbred. In the early 19th century, Pacer mares were bred to stallion
s of the fledgling Morgan horse
breed. However, the Morgan breed was selected for a trot
as an intermediate gait, and thus ambling horses were frowned upon, so most Narragansett/Morgan crosses were sold to Canada, the Caribbean and South America and thus the bloodlines did not remain within the Morgan breed. Other breeds indirectly influenced by the Narragansett Pacer include the Rocky Mountain Horse
, a gaited breed started in Kentucky
, and the Tiger Horse
, a gaited breed with Appaloosa
patterning.
Horse breed
Horse breed is a broad term with no clear consensus as to definition, but most commonly refers to selectively bred populations of domesticated horses, often with pedigrees recorded in a breed registry. However, the term is sometimes used in a very broad sense to define landrace animals, or...
developed in the United States, but is now extinct. It was developed in the United States during the 18th century and associated closely with the state of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, and it had become extinct by the late 19th century. The Pacer was developed from a mix of English and Spanish breeds
Iberian horse
The Iberian horse is a title given to a number of horse breeds native to the Iberian peninsula. At present, 17 horse breeds are recognized by FAO as characteristic of the Iberian Peninsula....
, although the exact cross is unknown, and they were known to and owned by many famous personages of the day, including George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. Sales to the Caribbean and cross-breeding diminished the breed to the point of extinction, and the last known Pacer died around 1880.
The Narragansett was possibly an ambling
Ambling
The term amble or ambling is used to describe a number of four-beat intermediate gaits of horses. All are faster than a walk but usually slower than a canter or gallop...
horse, rather than a true pacing breed. It was known as a sure footed, dependable breed, although not flashy or always good looking. Pacers were used for racing and general riding. They were frequently crossed with other breeds, and provided the foundation for several other American breeds, including the American Saddlebred
American Saddlebred
The American Saddlebred, formerly known as the American Saddle Horse, is a breed of horse that was developed in Kentucky by plantation owners. Today, in the horse show world, they are most commonly seen under saddle in Saddle seat style riding, and in various types of driving, including pleasure...
, Standardbred and Tennessee Walking Horse.
History
Highly valued by plantation owners of the 19th century, the Narragansett Pacer had a major influence on many American gaitedGaited horse
Gaited horses are horse breeds that have natural gaited tendencies, that is, the ability to perform one of the smooth to ride, intermediate speed four-beat horse gaits, collectively referred to as ambling gaits....
breeds. The breed was especially associated with the state of Rhode Island in the early 18th century, but had become extinct by the late 19th century. It was known as the first breed of horse developed in America. The exact origins of the breed are unknown. However, it is probably that it developed from a cross between English "ambling" horses and Spanish breeds
Iberian horse
The Iberian horse is a title given to a number of horse breeds native to the Iberian peninsula. At present, 17 horse breeds are recognized by FAO as characteristic of the Iberian Peninsula....
. These Spanish breeds often included bloodlines that included lateral gaits
Ambling
The term amble or ambling is used to describe a number of four-beat intermediate gaits of horses. All are faster than a walk but usually slower than a canter or gallop...
. The horses that developed from this cross were known for their smoothness and sure-footedness over poor terrain. It is theorized that the English horses which contributed to the Narragansett Pacer descended from were members of the Irish Hobby
Irish Hobby
The Irish Hobby is an extinct breed of horse native to the British Isles that developed prior to the 13th Century. The breed provided foundation bloodlines for several modern horse breeds, including breeds as diverse as the Connemara pony and the Irish Draught....
breed; another possible ancestor is the Galloway pony
Galloway pony
The Galloway pony is an extinct horse breed, once native to Scotland and northern England. It was said to have "good looks, a wide, deep chest and a tendency to pace rather than trot."...
. In the early 18th century, William Robinson, the Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island, began the serious development of the breed with a stallion named "Old Snip"—speculated to be either an Irish Hobby or an Andalusian
Andalusian horse
The Andalusian, also known as the Pure Spanish Horse or PRE , is a horse breed developed in the Iberian Peninsula. Its ancestors have been present on the Iberian Peninsula for thousands of years. The Andalusian has been recognized as an individual breed since the 15th century, and its conformation...
and considered the father of the breed.
In 1768, George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
owned and raced a Narragansett Pacer, while in 1772 Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke PC was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who, after moving to England, served for many years in the House of Commons of Great Britain as a member of the Whig party....
asked an American friend for a pair. Paul Revere
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
possibly rode a Pacer during his 1775 ride to warn the Americans of a British march. The extinction was due mainly to the breed being sold in such large numbers to sugar cane planters in the West Indies that breeding stock was severely diminished in the United States. The few horses that were left were crossbred to create and improve other breeds and the pure strain of the Narragansett soon became extinct. North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
was also a noted breeder of the Narragansett, with breeding stock having been brought to the area as early as 1790 by early pioneers. The last known Pacer, a mare
Mare
Female horses are called mares.Mare is the Latin word for "sea".The word may also refer to:-People:* Ahmed Marzooq, also known as Mare, a footballer and Secretary General of Maldives Olympic Committee* Mare Winningham, American actress and singer...
, died around 1880.
Characteristics
Ambling
The term amble or ambling is used to describe a number of four-beat intermediate gaits of horses. All are faster than a walk but usually slower than a canter or gallop...
gait, which is a four beat intermediate-speed gait, while the pace is a two beat intermediate-speed gait. The amble is more comfortable to ride than the pace, and Narragansett Pacers were known for their qualities as both riding and driving horses. They averaged around high and were generally chestnut
Chestnut (coat)
Chestnut is a hair coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat. Genetically and visually, chestnut is characterized by the absolute absence of true black hairs...
in color. James Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th century. He is best remembered as a novelist who wrote numerous sea-stories and the historical novels known as the Leatherstocking Tales, featuring frontiersman Natty Bumppo...
described them as follows: "They have handsome foreheads, the head clean, the neck long, the arms and legs thin and tapered."; however, another source stated "The hindquarters are narrow and the hocks a little crooked..." but also said, "They are very spirited and carry both the head and tail high. But what is more remarkable is that they amble with more speed than most horses trot, so that it is difficult to put some of them upon a gallop." Other viewers of the breed rarely called them stylish or good-looking, although they considered them dependable, easy to work with and sure footed.
Uses
The breed was used for "pacing races" in Rhode Island, where the BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
population allowed races when the greater part of Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
New England did not. Pacers reportedly covered the mile tracks in a little more than two minutes.
The Narragansett Pacer played a significant role in the creation of the American Saddlebred
American Saddlebred
The American Saddlebred, formerly known as the American Saddle Horse, is a breed of horse that was developed in Kentucky by plantation owners. Today, in the horse show world, they are most commonly seen under saddle in Saddle seat style riding, and in various types of driving, including pleasure...
, the Standardbred and the Tennessee Walking Horse. The breed was also combined with French pacers to create the Canadian Pacer
Canadian Pacer
The Canadian Pacer is a horse breed of which only small numbers remain.-History:In the Canadian Provinces, French mares were crossed with Dutch and English stock. The bloodlines of the Canadian Pacer are not exactly known, but are thought to be descended from the French Norman horse and a strain of...
, a breed especially suited to racing over ice and which also contributed substantially to the creation of the Standardbred. In the early 19th century, Pacer mares were bred to stallion
Stallion
A Stallion is a male horse.Stallion may also refer to:* Stallion , an American pop rock group* Stallion , a figure in the Gobot toyline* Stallion , a character in the console role-playing game series...
s of the fledgling Morgan horse
Morgan horse
The Morgan is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the stallion Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, the breed excels in many disciplines, and is known for its versatility....
breed. However, the Morgan breed was selected for a trot
Trot (horse gait)
The trot is a two-beat diagonal gait of the horse, where the diagonal pairs of legs move forward at the same time. There is a moment of suspension between each beat....
as an intermediate gait, and thus ambling horses were frowned upon, so most Narragansett/Morgan crosses were sold to Canada, the Caribbean and South America and thus the bloodlines did not remain within the Morgan breed. Other breeds indirectly influenced by the Narragansett Pacer include the Rocky Mountain Horse
Rocky Mountain Horse
Around the turn of the 20th century, a young horse soon to be called the Rocky Mountain Horse appeared in eastern Kentucky that gave rise to a line of horses prized by North American and European owners. On the farm of Sam Tuttle in Spout Springs Kentucky, there stood a stallion "Old Tobe"...
, a gaited breed started in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, and the Tiger Horse
Tiger Horse
Tiger horses are gaited, spotted horses with a coat color much like the Appaloosa. The tiger horse can exhibit various ambling gaits including various lateral gaits called the "Glider Gait" or Indian shuffle, stepping pace, and running walk, as well as the diagonal Fox Trot...
, a gaited breed with Appaloosa
Appaloosa
The Appaloosa is a horse breed best known for its colorful leopard-spotted coat pattern. There is a wide range of body types within the breed, stemming from the influence of multiple breeds of horses throughout its history. Each horse's color pattern is genetically the result of various spotting...
patterning.