THE AMERICAN SADDLE HORSE 
LL breeds of horses are able to walk, trot and can¬ 
ter, but the American Saddle Horse has other 
gaits as well. This breed appears principally at 
horse shows, either in the three-gaited or in the five- 
gaited classes. Usually referred to as a “walk, trot” 
horse, the three-gaited saddle horse moves at the walk, 
trot, or canter. The five-gaited horse has as his spe¬ 
cialties the walk, the slow gait, the trot, the canter, 
and the rack. The slow gaits are the running walk, the 
fox trot, and the single-foot. In the show ring, these sad¬ 
dle horses are further classified according to height. 
This distinct American breed originated in Ken¬ 
tucky. The founder of the line was Denmark, a Thor¬ 
oughbred foaled in 1839. His son, Game’s Denmark, 
was the greatest saddle horse stallion, while later fa¬ 
mous ones were Bourbon King and Rex Peavine. The 
development of the American Saddle Horse breed was 
due to the mixture of Thoroughbred blood with that 
of the best of the pacing, ambling mares of the day. 
The American saddle-bred is a born show horse. 
With fine lines, unusual action, and an airy carriage, 
he is an easily recognized type. The three-gaited sad¬ 
dle horse appears in the show ring with the mane 
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