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The
Middle Ages The foundation of this breed began in England with the
tradition of trotting horses. The speed of these horses made them more
suitable for war than the ambling horse with it's slow pacing gait. In
1542, King Henry VIII required the wealthy to keep a specified number of
trotting horse stallions. The breed was well
established in Norfolk and later became known as the Norfolk
Trotter. The
Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries Breeders mated
Norfolk mares to the foundation sires of the Thoroughbred. The first
Hackney as we know the breed today is said to be The Shales Horse, foaled
around 1755. The Norfolk Trotter became the all-around travel horse of
this time. In another area of England, the same breed was known as the
Yorkshire Trotter. Both breeds were alternately called roadsters. It is
common to see the term Norfolk/Yorkshire Roadster/Trotter in books
describing the history of horses. Regardless of the name, all are the same
breed of horse. They were used under saddle as the quickest means of
travel in areas where there were no established roads. The breed was known
for it's ability to carry a heavy man for great distances at speeds up to
16-17 m.p.h. Trotting races, usually under saddle, were very popular in
the early part of the the nineteenth century and this breed excelled in
them. In the early
1880's the name Hackney was chosen for the breed as it was
non-geographical. The British Hackney Horse Society was formed in 1883 to
provide a registry. During the nineteenth century, the Hackney was sought
after by many governments for crossbreeding to improve their military
stock. Hackney stallions were actively exported to France, Italy, Germany,
Australia, Finland, Holland & Hungary. Monsieur de Thannberg, an
adviser to the French government, stated that "they invariably transmit to
their off-spring all their qualities, their action, their
courage". Crosses with Hackneys contributed to many other breeds
including the Gelderlander, Dutch Warmblood, Friesian, Standardbred and
American Saddlebred to name a few. It is also widely believed that Justin
Morgan, the foundation sire of the Morgan Breed, was a Norfolk Roadster.
Hackney horses were imported by Canada, Argentina and the United States to
be used as fancy
carriage horses. The American Hackney Horse Society was formed in
1890. When trotting races began to lose their popularity in the second
half of the nineteenth century, the breed was gradually transformed into
the specialist show horse that we know today. Up to that point, there were
2 types of Hackney - the heavier coach type and the light horse similar to
today's horse. Progressive minded breeders realized that the future of the
of the Hackney lay in the show ring and stallions which produced that type
became fashionable. The Hackney pony evolved in the span of a few years in
the 1870's in England by crossing Hackney horses with Fell and Welsh
ponies. The pony has all the speed, action and courage of the horse but is
a true pony with pony character. The pony was actively imported by United
States as the horse was. The
Twentieth Century The show harness
reached it's hey day in the early part of this century, reaching 626
entries at the London Hackney Show in 1911. Interest in driving began to
decrease between the 2 World Wars due to the increased use of the
automobile and during World War II it was felt that the breed was heading
toward extinction since the Hackney was viewed as a specialist show
animal. Land on Hackney farms was even taken by the British Government for
crops as it was felt that these horses contributed nothing to the war
effort. Fortunately, by 1948 the demand for Hackneys began to
recover. Few breeds are
static and stop developing. With any breed, including human beings, there
is rarely a point where they can be said to have reached their full
potential. The same can be said of the Hackney! Breeding of successful
show horses has established a link between conformation and the
predisposition to step high. This natural action does not preclude it from
being used as a riding horse. For example, Silver Shales was used for polo
in the 1950's & 60's. And, the ability of the Hackney as a jumper has
been known for many years. Confidence jumped 7 feet 2 inches at the New
York National Horse Show in 1910 and later cleared 8 feet 1 1/2 inches at
a show in Syracuse. Sir Ashton (later renamed Greatheart) jumped 8 feet 2
inches at the North Shore Country Club Horse Show in Chicago and later
went on to win the New York National High Jump in 1915. There are not many
present day jumpers capable of clearing that height. Between the 2 World
Wars the show jumping scene was full of Hackneys. The half-Hackney mare,
Tosca, was the Gold Medal winner for the German team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. From the 1940's on, the focus for the breed remained in
driving. It was rare to find the Hackney shown in any other arena. It
has been said that they are not suitable for work
under saddle as they are an uncomfortable ride. This may be true of the
fine harness horse whose high step has been accentuated through various
training methods but it is hardly true of the pleasure horse! The pleasure
horse with it's natural high step is a very comfortable ride. Many people
in the United States are again using their Hackneys under saddle and
rediscovering their athletic ability and versatility. There is a Hackney
used out West for punching cattle and several who are used regularly for
Hunter/Paces and trail riding. In Canada there are Hackneys used as school
horses and one doing Dressage. The only limits for the use of this breed
is one's own imagination! The Twenty-First Century |
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