The American Saddlebred is the old new sport horse: old because it was a national caliber jumping horse in the days of the U.S. Cavalry ; new because its sport horse ability is being rediscovered in the US and overseas after a lengthy hiatus.

The American Saddlebred has a definite place in today’s sport horse world as hunt, jump, dressage or event horses. The Saddlebred can excel in these areas, however our owners and trainers need to be educated as to how to present and market them.

Sport horses are not rejects. We need to eliminate the word reject from our vocabulary. Only a select few of any breed of animal in the show world ends up in the winner’s circle. What happens to the rest? Saddlebreds used to be versatile prior to the 1940s. They were working ranch horses or jumpers or field hunters and many a show horse pulled a plow during WWII. An attitude change sneaked in and for some reason, if a horse can’t step six inches over level and command a $25,000 and up price tag, today it is a reject. The remaining horses frequently go to a local livestock sale and some are sold by the pound. We have not only lost numbers but also lost valuable sport horses and ultimate cash to the owner.

The first way to turn this around is to learn something about the language of the sport horse world. The American Saddlebred is an American Warmblood: a blending of the blood of imported European stock, half-breeds and full-bloods. A Warmblood is not a cross between "hot" full-bloods and "cold" draft horses. The true Warmblood is a very slow and deliberate breeding program, neither an accident nor a one-time cross.

The Saddlebred has more than a hundred years of documented breeding to qualify as a Warmblood and a sport horse. The Europeans have been wise enough to take our horses and cross them on their Warmbloods. The resulting animal many times has become an outstanding performing or breeding horse. The past fifty years has found the majority of Saddlebred breeders focused on the show ring candidate. At the same time the European breeders have changed from the utility horse to the under saddle jumping and dressage horse. Today, breeders and owners of Saddlebreds are seeking new disciplines to increase the market exposure of their horses. Dressage is the fastest growing discipline in the world. It is only natural to focus on this. The Saddlebred is once again being bred for sport horse use.

The ideal Warmblood sport horse is a combination of beauty with substance, athletic ability and a willing disposition. This description certainly sounds like an American Saddlebred. The Warmblood is bred to be a sport horse with style and stamina coupled with speed and durability, yet is still elegant. The temperament should be lively but docile and willing to obey the requests of the rider or driver. These requirements eliminate both the dead-head and the hyper horse.

The ideal sport horse must have straight legs. These horses work with a relatively short hoof and a standard flat shoe. The foot flight path should be true and correct. The closer the legs are to ideal, the better the chance the horse has to stay sound in the legs and feet. A horse in pain cannot perform up to ability. Remember that these horses show in the ring one at a time, not in a group situation, whether doing dressage or jumping. Any flaw is readily apparent.

The sport horse can have a medium to large frame. The tendency today is to keep the horse’s height under 16.2 hands. The four key words for describing a sport horse’s movement are suspension, extension, elasticity and impulsion. Conformation determines this natural ability.

The horse’s back should look relaxed so that the energy from the rear should flow to the front. The horse should have well-sprung ribs with a deep girth line. The loins should be elastic and flexible to help the hind legs reach up under the horse for impulsion. The hips should be wide and muscled. The croup should have a moderate slope because the very flat croup usually inhibits impulsion. Knowledgeable judges today no longer fault the flat croup to a great degree. What is severely penalized is the short flat croup.

A hindquarter weakness can cause problems with the horse’s mouth and back. The rider tries to force the horse to do something that the horse’s conformation precludes. If the hind legs naturally stand out behind the body, the horse leaves its energy behind instead of propelling forward. For this reason a sport horse is judged standing square. Many Saddlebreds are faulted for being unable to stand square. When standing square, the sport horse should not have a rump higher than withers, creating a downhill look.

A balanced horse is easier to train and to ride. It is usually not practical to have to remedy mechanical defects by having to train the horse to elevate the forehand and to engage the hindquarter. The horse lifts when moving, displaying suspension, elasticity and impulsion. It lifts its spine to use its back, rounding and moving in a supple manner. Traditionally trainers have taught the horse to hollow the back to raise the forehand rather than allowing the horse to round the back to engage the hindquarters. This is a very important difference in basic training techniques. It takes longer to train the horse to round and transfer weight but horse and rider both benefit in the long term. Think of how Tom Bass "high schooled" all of his horses. He was rounding the horse.

At a trot the horse should engage the hindquarter to free the forehand. The first step at a trot is telling. If the horse can do all this in one motion, then assuming that the other traits are present, this horse might be a dressage candidate. A horse is walked and trotted on a hard surface to allow evaluation of the true way of moving for the sport horse disciplines.

A canter can be judged at liberty or during a performance test under saddle. It is imperative that the horse shift its weight to the hindquarters when it steps into the canter, not after a cantering stride or two. It should be light and lifting, not thundering like a draft horse.

Jumping ability is frequently demonstrated in a chute without a rider or tack. A jumper needs a relaxed back over fences. The body should arc with the front legs lifted and tucked. This arc is called a bascule and is highly desirable, yet many top jumping horses do not bascule. Once again heart and desire prevail over perfect form. Saddlebreds love to jump and many a Saddlebred has competed nationally while masquerading as a Thoroughbred.

Assuming that a Saddlebred is thought to be a sport horse candidate. How should it be presented for marketing? It should be stood square. One hind leg may be slightly forward. If video is used, it should be filmed from all four sides and each leg featured. It should be walked straight out and back, then viewed from the side. This is repeated at a trot. Under saddle, the horse should be presented in a calm, relaxed manner, but not allowed to string out. When being filmed for sale, all three gaits should be presented from the side as well as a front and rear view.

The sport horse must be a natural product. Do present a substantial horse with plenty of bone with good legs and feet. A pretty horse is always nice but drop-dead gorgeous doesn’t get the horse over a big fence, or perform a piaffe and passage. Sport horse buyers are looking for an over-all picture that represents the four qualities of suspension, extension, elasticity and impulsion.

The American Saddlebred Horse can become a valuable member of the sport horse world. Owners and trainers will have to become educated to the needs, likes and dislikes of the buyers. A local, national and international market awaits the successful marketeer.