Thoroughbred Horse History

Origins of the Thoroughbred:
This form of horse was formerly bred in England due to the English horsemens want to possess a quick race horse. There are three that founded this bloodline which are: Byerley Turk, Darley Arabian and Godolphin Arabian, named after their owners, Thomas Darley, Lord Godolphin and Captain Robert Byerley. Each and every one of these stallions were shipped to the UK from the Mediterranean Middle Eastduring 1670 and 1710. The conclusion was a horse that could bear weight with sustained speeds over extended distances. Approximately ninety percent of present thoroughbreds have come from Eclipse the grandsire of whom was Darley Arabian, who was never beaten in eighteen races. This began a very selective breeding procedure which has continued for all but 250 years, breeding the greatest race horses, giving them authorityand excellence on the race track.

Around the turn of the 1700′s, breeding accounts for Thoroughbred horses were meager and commonly unfinished, and on any occasions, they would not name a horse until the young horse had proven themself worthy. A gentleman named James Weatherby, through his own investigation and relentless work, and by the collection of his own privately held pedigree accounts published the foremost volume of the General Stud Book. He achieved this in 1791. The initial book listed 387 mares, all of which could trace back to Eclipse. The General Studbook is still available in the UK by Weatherby and Sons. Numerous years later, as thoroughbred racing proliferated in North America the need for a pedigree registry for American Bred Thoroughbreds, similar to the General Stud Book became evident.

In 1873, the earliest American Stud Book was released by Colonel Sanders D. Bruce. This gentleman spent almost a lifetime researching the pedigrees of American Thoroughbreds. He followed the example of the General Stud Book creating six volumes of the register until 1896 when the project was carried on by The Jockey Club. The reliability of the American Stud Book is the base on which all Thoroughbred horse racing in North America depends. The initial edition of the American Stud Book by The Jockey Club had a foal amount of approximately 3,000. In 1986 in had developed to an incredible 51,000. In the present day The Jockey Club uses a complicated new computer technology to counter the registration challenges posed by the extremely large number of yearly registrations. The Jockey Club is responsible for and operates one of the most advanced computer operations in the world at present, with its record holding over 1.8 million horses on a master pedigree record, with names that trace back to the 1800′s. As well as bloodlines, this database also handles daily racing outcomes of all Thoroughbred race in North America, not forgetting the capability to process electronically sent pedigree and racing data from England, Ireland, France and other principal Thoroughbred districts. An additional progeny of Darley Arabian is Diomed; he won the earliest running of the Kentucky Derby in 1780. At just 21 years old he was brought to the US where he produced the male line through his son, Sir Archie.

Thoroughbred horses are the preferred option for track racing. Most thoroughbred horsesare born somewhere between January and April, but their certified birthday is January 1 of the present year. During their first year of growth, they are developing bulk and muscle with the adolescent beginning his training as a yearling. Thouroughbreds learn to take a bridle and a saddle and shortly after a rider on its back to break in the horse ready for the starting gate and the race around the track.

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