American Breed Development

This article's theme has been published in three of my books and on this site before, but in a different form with a different emphasis. Now I feel the need to put it up again because I keep running into false narratives online about our American breeds. 

Let me give you a few examples: Just a few days ago, it was presented in a Morgan Facebook post that the Morgan is the oldest American breed. The Morgan, established in 1840, is truly a wonderful horse breed, but it was not the first American breed. The truth is two hundred years before the Morgan was formed, we had the American Running Horse, already documented as race-saddle breed by 1624 in Virginia, and it did not go extinct until about 1925.  The Morgan breed is the oldest EXISTING American breed, not the oldest breed. I think its odd this hasn't been adjusted seeing the Morgan people readily accept that the Narragansett Pacer (the northern branch of the Running Horse) is in their foundation sire's dam line and that their most prolific sire line, Sherman Morgan, is out of a Narragansett dam. So they know at some level their claim is not quite accurate. Narragansett branch of the Running Horse existed by 1690.

This kind of breed confusion is rampant in our equine community. Yesterday (July 6, 1926), I was discussing the false breed label on a famous foundation sire, Grey Eagle, he is the sire of Robert E Lee's mount Traveler. I corrected the idea posted that he was a Thoroughbred, insisting he was an American Running Horse. I was challenged by a good horsewomen who said all her sources say he is a Thoroughbred. I agree that most do say that, but it is wrong. Many, many horses are identified as "Thoroughbred" that are not of that breed.

The confusion arises because the American Stud-Book (1868) scooped in every great galloping racer we had in this country, and thereafter they were called Thoroughbred. The American Running Horses existed 100 years before the Thoroughbred got to the colonies. The problem with our lack of knowledge is that our original racing breed is erased from history. You (and I) never knew it existed because it is never identified in our narratives and pedigrees. Instead all our good racing Running Horses, the best in the world, are now called Thoroughbreds--they are not. S.D. Bruce, the compiler of the American Stud-Book, admitted in his preface that many of his entries were not 'thoroughbred' but because of their excellent performance he allowed them in. The legal definition, which Bruce repeated in the preface, which was established by the British court system, is that a Thoroughbred is a horse that has five full generations of General Stud-Book registered stock or Oriental, with no contamination of corrupted bloodlines. Remember that.

The heirs of  our Tidewater breeders, who owned the most successful racing Running Horse studs in the country, in 1745 (MacKay-Smith 1983) decided with their new found wealth from tobacco sales, that they would convert their studs to English Thoroughbred studs. They began importing Thoroughbreds to cross on their racing stock (Running Horses). What is curious is a hundred years later they still had not completed their goal, and of the horses drafted into Bruce's studbook were 60-70% Running Horse still (Kirsan 2025). The problem was racehorses had to win races, and the best racers had their original racehorse breed strong in them. The English found the same thing out in 1730 when they stopped breeding to Oriental because it was killing the speed in their racers (Lawrence 1829). And in our modern day we learned that speed came from the "native racers" not the Oriental (Bower 2010).

So, back to Grey Eagle, his sire, Woodpecker is a Running Horse, his dam line is Running Horse, and that makes Grey Eagle a Running Horse, not a Thoroughbred. American Running Horses were chosen to breed racehorses by their performance first and bloodlines came second, just like the model of our Standardbred today. 

Now, let me show you another problem that contributes to the breed confusion in our horses.

The Mystery of George Wilkes AT's dam

George Wilkes AT, was born in 1856, so he was an American Trotter, not a Standardbred; the Standardbred did not exist until 1879 when John Wallace changed the mile standard to 2:30. This also means all those labeled Standardbred in his ancestry in the above pedigree are not correct breed labels either. 

But that is not all that is wrong in this pedigree. The dam, Dolly Spanker, also an American Trotter, is not his dam. His true dam is Dolly AT, a mare with untraced lineage. This dam error, which is widely accepted as true, it even fooled Wallace and the Trotting Board, was proven by Joseph Battell (American Stallion Register vol. 2) to be a clever invention. I cover this mystery in my Standardbred Sport Horses):

"George Wilkes AT's true dam Dolly AT, is hopelessly untraceable. For years and years, many attempts were made to unravel her origin because her son was so superlative. Much effort and energy were spent in this quest. At one time the industry was sure it had her correct lineage, but it turned out to have been submitted by a less than ethical agent, who submitted a verified parentage to appease the industry. This lineage, Dolly Spanker as dam, was very well documented; it reported she was a daughter of Henry Clay AT out of a mare named Telegraph (as you see in the pedigree). All the owners and breeders were listed, and all the records agreed. It was a handy piece of work, and both Wallace and the Trotting Board were satisfied that it was correct. Nevertheless, it came to light that they had been tricked.

"The deception in this lineage began to unravel when the people who had originally bought this mare in northwestern Pennsylvania strongly objected to the published ancestry, and they were extremely credible. Further investigation was carried out then, and it was revealed that the mare with the supplied lineage did exist but that she was not the dam of George Wilkes AT; and after all that time and effort, they were back where they started, with nothing known about this dam Dolly's parentage, and that is how it stayed. You can read a complete account of this search, with all its relevant documentation, in Battell's American Stallion Register vol.II. It is an education into the level of difficulty that all registers had before them to verify parentage"(Kirsan 2019, 220-221).

Yet here we are one-hundred and fifty years later, still publishing this fraud.

There is still more deception in this lineage. On the sire line is Messenger, labeled as a Thoroughbred, and he is included in the GSB as a Thoroughbred, A blatant fraud entry, as he is not even close to being Thoroughbred, and worse, everyone in his day knew he wasn't a Thoroughbred (Lawrence 1829), The requirement for Thoroughbred in his day was pure Oriental on both sides of the pedigree, it was later that the English court system established the legal definition of five full generations of uncorrupted General Stud-Book stock. His dam line is an invention; this particular "Turf Mare" didn't exist (Wallace 1897,205-221), but even more egregious is he is descended from a draft horse (Hardiman "Half Crown Cart Horse" investigation 9), and everyone in the industry knew this, and he still to this day is proclaimed a Thoroughbred. 

Lexington RH 1850, the bloodline the English labeled "cold blood"

At the time of the American invasion into the English racing scene in the 1800s the dominant American bloodline in the winners was Lexington. Later, in the 1890s on, when the English wanted to expel our racehorses from the breed they began to refer to Lexington as 'cold blooded.'

In the industry today, a cold blood usually means a draft horse or draft pony, horses that are strong, slow moving, and heavy, therefore "cold." Whereas a racehorse is classified hot-blooded,  the fast,elegant, light racer. and before the Europeans adopted it, "warmblood" would be anything between those two extremes. 

But we just saw Messenger is part draft and he was classified as Thoroughbred by the English, a hot blood. Not only that, Lexington's contemporary and  peer, was Stockwell, born a year before Lexington, and he was crowned the "emperor of stallions" by the English. Stockwell has ten draft crosses in him. 

When the English were reaching for a legitimate way to expel our racehorse from their breed, they latched onto Lexington's non-Thoroughbred lines and declared him a cold blood.

The American Thoroughbred did not become a breed until 1868 when it launched its fraudulent studbook. Lexington was born in 1850. In 1922 Vosburgh announced in his Racing in America that he believed Lexington's pedigree had been doctored; he was right. It was the common practice on both sides of the Atlantic to improve pedigrees to fit the studbook requirements. 

The English in labeling Lexington a cold blood cited his lines of the non-Thoroughbred mare Calista. Lexington has three lines of her, on the various dam lines, and she was a proven purveyor of speed. His sire Boston, also a Running Horse, not a Thoroughbred, had each of his dam lines go back to this mare via her daughter Vampire Mare. Lexington's dam, Alice Carneal, had another line of Calista via the dam line of Tayloe's Grey Diomed. 

Calista, born in Virginia in 1757, was a great racer and producer in the Virginia colony. So why is she a problem? Calista arrived in utero in a mare Colonel Byrd purchased in England  and had shipped to the colony. Her dam had unknown or unrecorded lineage, and the sire of the foal she carried was also unidentified, therefore these are not Thoroughbreds. What was racing and winning still in England and still featured on the Racing Calendar in the era of her import? Scottish Galloway during the 1700s was still racing in both gallop and pacing races, called "Galloway Races." In this same period, we in the colonies were also holding both heat races and galloway races at our meets (Maryland Gazette & Virginia Gazette, 1739). Calista's mother was brought to the colony when many other non-Thoroughbred racers and breeding stock also arrived, such as Tamerlane, Ranger (later renamed Lindsays Arabian). Byrd bought two pregnant racing mares in England, Roxana and Express. 

But Lexington had another non-Thoroughbred dam line that the British were unaware of, because Edgar had her true ancestry erased from his studbook (1833) and, in its place, put "Thorough Bred mare." Balls Flozel's dam line goes straight back to a champion sprint-racing Running Horse, Sweet Mary 1766. So Lexington and his sire Boston, and his dam, Alice Carneal, were Running Horses, not Thoroughbreds. With a few exceptions like Sir Archy and Morton's Traveler, if you see an American horse listed as Thoroughbred before 1868, it usually a fraud, and even after that date realize 60-70% of those in the Thoroughbred studbook are Running Horses also. This is why you and I were unaware of our true equine history, it was intentionally erased.

A Note about Online Databases

If you want to be accurate about breed identification, then you have recognize your favorite databases were designed by people that may or may not have our breed history correct. My example is All Breed Pedigree because I use it so often, even knowing it is terribly inaccurate. All Breed has many contributors and pedigree builders. And most of them are conscientious and believe they are entering true ancestry. Several years ago, I attempted to correct a few horse entries on All Breed. Only to discover I could not correct the breed label because those original breeds were not on their list; the drop-down menu doesn’t include them. American Trotter, an internationally successful breed, for instance, is not in their drop-down menu, nor is the American Saddle Horse, and many others. I wrote to the staff at All Breed to explain the mislabeling and the disinformation it caused, and to ask that the original American breeds be added to the menu. I provided them with a chronological list of our American breed development, as I will provide below, and with an explanation of when each was absorbed into its descendant breeds. They said they would see what they could do. Nothing has changed. If you know the breed's history, you will spot the mistakes, but otherwise, you will be absorbing a false history of our breeds.

The following is a timeline of the emergence of American breeds, with extinction dates added where applicable.

Timeline of American Breed Development

Colonial Horse Breeds

1611-1624. extinct 1925. American Running Horse. Virginia plantation owners were transplanted Cavaliers (loyal to King Charles) and owners of the pre-Thoroughbred racing studs in England and Ireland. They brought their racehorses with them. These plantation owners and the Governor, continued importing more of their racehorses until 1660. They set up race breeding and competed on their race paths in the beginning, with tracks in place by 1667. Cavaliers bred the pre-Thoroughbred racehorse, the Irish Hobby, the Scottish Galloway, and the combination breed: English Running Horse, and they owned the racing studs in England and Ireland. 

This breed, documented in 1624 as already racing and being selectively bred, is the base of all our best light horse breeds (see American Running Horse for full history). It was noted as gaited, able to race at a gallop and the pace, a good jumper, a hunter horse, and a fine saddle horse. This original colonial breed is the basis of our three world-record-holding racing breeds and most of our fine saddle horse breeds.

1680-90,  the Canadian Horse, was developed, its exact date of origin is uncertain because of the lack of records, but this breed still exists. This light draft breed is the oldest still-existing breed in North America.

1690, extinct as a pure bred population by1800. Narragansett Pacer, the northern branch of the American Running Horse. In approximately 1690, the plantation owners in Rhode Island established a mile-long straight track on South Kingston beach to test their racing breed. By 1800, the pure-bred Narragansett was no longer bred in its home area, and its remnants were found as far north as Canada and as far west as Tennessee, producing horses of speed, stamina, and soundness. Those left in the east were most often found to be crossed with the new Thoroughbred or Morgan.

Post-colonial American breeds

1817, extinct in 1935. American Saddle Horse, a.k.a. Plantation Horse, Saddler. The smooth-gaited Running Horse was separated and selectively bred to produce high-quality riding stock with tremendous stamina, comfortable gaits, soundness and resilience, and a sweet disposition. The first horse show was established in 1817 to test these qualities. This breed later separated into our three primary saddle breeds: Tennessee Walker, Saddlebred, and Missouri Fox Trotter. In modern times, more saddle breeds have spun off, such as the Rocky Mountain Horse, the Spotted Walker, and others.

1818, extinct 1879. American Trotter. This breed was developed by crossing in trot typesetters on our gaited racing stock. The date of origin is set by documented performance testing. Messenger EH and Figure RH were early crosses used in this project. The standard was set at a 3-minute mile at the trot in 1818 on Long Island, NY. This breed was explosively popular, even making a mark in Europe. In 1867, its first register appeared in the appendix of John Wallace’s Thoroughbred studbook. In 1871, the Wallace's Trotter Register was launched and established with a 2:40-minute mile standard. The second volume appeared in 1874. In 1879, Wallace lowered the standard to 2:30 for a mile, and the Standardbred was born; the American Trotter became the Standardbred. The Standardbred is the greatest mid-gait racing breed in the world.

1830, extinct 1890. Canadian Pacer. A studbook was never created that I am aware of. The breed became organized in approximately 1830 and it was immediately noted as a top rated mid-gait racing breed, regularly racing against the American Trotter with great results. Joseph Battell preserved most of its history and significant bloodlines. Its primary ancestry is Narragansett crossed with Morgan. It was absorbed into the Standardbred and American Saddle Horse. (see Standardbred Sport Horses and American Running Horse for full history).

1840, still existing. Morgan Horse. By 1840, the breeders in Vermont were gathering the descendants of Figure RH into a registry. Joseph Battell later in 1894 produced the Morgan Horse Registry. However, Battell was extremely enthusiastic about adding non-Morgan horses to his register. Many horses that were already American Trotters or Canadian Pacers were brought in, thereby making them “Morgan.” An important foundation sire of the trotter, Engineer RH, is a good example. He had no Morgan lines in him, but Battell launched a ridiculous claim that he was a Morgan after Wallace was dead. Many Morgans were fantastic trotters, but not as many as Battell claimed were indeed Morgans. Anything by Figure RH before 1840 was a Running Horse, for instance. Figure himself was a Connecticut Valley Running Horse. That said, the Morgan is still existing because it is a first rate breed, versatile, beautiful, gentle, today we find it succeeding in almost every equine division. 

1868, still existing. American Thoroughbred launched with a studbook and a new performance test: a “classic” 1- to 2-mile dash race. The studbook, however, is up to 60-70% Running Horse. In 1913 the British kicked out horses out of the Thoroughbred breed. In 1949, they relented and allowed our horses back in. (read the story in Legacy of Lexington). The American Thoroughbred is rated the greatest racehorse in the world.

1868, still existing. American Quarter Horse. The sprint-galloping branch of the Running Horse was separated from the distance branch by the creation of the Thoroughbred studbook. The Quarter Horse did not have a true studbook until 1940. Today it is rated the most popular breed in the world, the best cattle working breed and the fastest sprint racer.

1879, still existing. American Standardbred. With the setting of the  2:30-minute mile performance standard, the American Trotter became the Standardbred. Later, the gaited racers were added in 1891. Since the late 1800s it has been rated the greatest mid-gait racer in the world. Today its versatile uses as a saddle horse have largely been forgotten, but just a hundred years ago it was highly valued as a top hunter horse, a gaited saddle horse and a regular saddle horse, and was seen in various competitions across the nation. 

1624, extinct in 1891. The pacing racing branch of the Running Horse produced its own standard register in 1890. The next year, it was absorbed by the Standardbred. 

Twentieth Century Developments

1925 extinct. The last published mention I can find of the Running Horse as a distinct breed is in a 1925 college manual (Curtis). All of them had been absorbed by their descendant breeds, and no one was breeding Running Horse after this time.

1935 extinct. American Saddle Horse was divided into its descendant breeds with the launching of the Tennessee Walker Register. The Kentucky breeders maintained control of the Saddle Horse Register and limited it to their particular strain of saddle horse.

In 1940, the Quarter Horse opened a Register, and the Paint Horse was separated out from it for excessive white. The Paint Horse opened its own register in 1961.

In 1945, the Missouri Fox Trotter opened its own register.

References

Battell, Joseph. Morgan Horse Register. Vol 1-3. 1894, 1905, 1915. Middlebury, VT: Register Printing Company.
______American Stallion Register vol 1-3. 1909, 1911, 1939. Middlebury, VT: Register Printing Company.

Bower, Mim.et al. 2010. "The cosmopolitan maternal heritage of the Thoroughbred racehorse breed shows a significant contribution from British and Irish native mares." Biology Letters, October 6, 2010.

Bruce, S.D. American Stud-Book. 1873. Vol. 1 & 2. New York: Sanders D. Bruce.
_____American Stud-Book. 1882. Revised edition. New York: Sanders D. Bruce.

Cheny, John. 1733. A Historical List of all Horse Races Run, and of all Plates and Prizes run for in England and Wales. London: by author.

Curtis, Robert S. 1925. The Fundamentals of Live Stock Judging and Selection. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger.

Edgar, Patrick Nesbit. 1833. The American Race-Turf Register, Sportsman’s Herald and General Stud Book. New York: Press of Henry Mason.

Hardiman, James R. Various historical and pedigree research studies published on bloodlines.net/highflyer/
_____ “The Half Crown Cart Horse.” Investigation 9.
_____ “Confused Pedigrees and Mistaken Identities.” Investigation 2.

Harrison, Fairfax. 1934. Early American Turf Stock 1730-1830. (mares) Vol. 1. Richmond: privately printed by Old Dominion Press.
_____1935. Early American Turf Stock 1730-1830. stallions. Vol.2. Richmond: privately printed by Old Dominion Press.

Kirsan, Kathleen. (2013) 2019. North American Sport Horse Breeder. Lincoln, CA: privately published.
_____(2014) 2019..Legacy of Lexington. Lincoln, CA.: privately published.
_____2019. Standardbred Sport Horses. Lincoln, CA: privately published.
_____(2023) 2024 revised. American Running Horse, a forgotten breed. Lincoln, CA: privately published.
_____2025. American Running Horse (second edition) Lincoln, CA: privately published.

Lawrence, John. 1829. The Horse in All Its Varieties and Uses. London: M. Arnold.

MacKay-Smith, Alexander. 1983. The Colonial Quarter Race Horse. Richmond, VA: Helen Kleberg Groves, printed by Whitter & Shepperson.
_____2000. Speed and the Thoroughbred: The Complete History. Lanhan, MD.: The Derrydale Press.

Maryland Gazette. 1939. 9/11/39, 12/14/39.

Plumb, Charles S. 1919. Judging Farm Animals. New York: Orange Judd Company.

Virginia Gazette. 1939. 1/11/39.

Vosburgh, Walter S. 1922. Racing in America 1866-1921. New York: Jockey Club privately printed.

Wallace, John H. 1867. Wallace’s American Stud-Book. Vol. 1, New York: privately printed.
______1871. Wallace’s Trotter Register. Vol 1. New York: Wallace’s Publishing Company.
______1874. Wallace’s Trotter Register vol 2. New York: Wallace’s Publishing Company.
______1879. Wallace’s Trotter Register vol 3. New York: Wallace’s Publishing Company.
______1897. The Horse in America in His Derivation, History, and Development. New York: privately printed.