Do you ride him?

Draken under saddle
Originally uploaded by librarygirl01

Technically Draken does ride, in fact we won the 2007 SPHO Ride and Drive class. However, we very rarely ride him mainly because we prefer to drive. While I used to ride extensively I haven't in years. I'm sure if we practiced we would both be better at it. The reality is that he primarily gets ridden at holidays by my young nephew.

In 2008, my nephew was visiting. He was almost 5 years old and learning to ride. We have a Fjord in addition to Draken. My nephew decided that the Fjord was just too slow and that Draken is a National Champion Trotter :) We tried to see if that was a firm designation or if champion or maybe reserve champion would work - nope! Nothing but the best for my nephew!

One thing to note, with the SPHO Ride and Drive class they don't ask you to canter, some ride and drive classes do ask for a canter. Draken does canter (and enjoys doing so in the pasture) but for pleasure driving we only want him to trot (we get penalty points for more than three cantering strides) so we discourage cantering. Many trainers feel it is important to feel comfortable with your horse cantering in harness. It's a safety issue so that should they spook, both you and your horse know how to safely canter in harness. Draken knows how to canter and we're both okay with it.

First Drive

In 1999, I was excited to arrive at my parent's farm in Central NY as I was going to get to drive the new horse I had heard about. As soon as I arrived I hitched up and headed out, except we only took two steps before the horse stopped. Sure enough, examining the harness showed a buckle done wrong. That fixed we were off again. After a few turns around the pasture we headed off to town over bridges, railroad tracks and rumble strips. None of them caused a moments pause, that is until we reached home. There my mother asked how the horse was doing. I was full of praise, telling them all that we had done. My mother replied with "That's the first time he's ever been to town or on the road. He's fresh off the track."

That was the start of my relationship with Draken. Believing that if I just asked, he would be up to the task. In the eleven years since then he's won three SPHO national championships along with numerous regional and local awards.

It hasn't always been the easiest path, but it's certainly been worthwhile. Draken excelled at marathon and cones from the day we got him from the Morrisville College Standardbred Racing Program but with an average road gate of 13mph, slowing him down took many hours of trail driving, particularly on the part of my mother, Joyce Haak. In 2001, we attended our first show together (Lorenzo) but it wasn't until 2005 that we decided to enter the pleasure driving ring. That year Draken realized what this new thing that we were asking him to do was and he went from not placing in pleasure classes to winning his first SPHO national pleasure driving championship. Today, at age 18, Draken has received comments like "I've never seen a horse listen to you like he does" and "The horse really wants to do well" from some very well respected judges.

If you were going to sum up Draken, it's not what he does that makes him special, it's the presence and personality that he brings that makes him a living embodiment of the Standardbred spirit.

What is a Standardbred?

Standardbreds (STB) are a 'newer' breed, dating back just over 200 years, but it is a true American breed.  The name "Standardbred" originated because the early trotters were required to reach a certain standard for the mile distance in order to be registered as part of the new breed. The mile is still the standard distance covered in nearly every harness race.  At the racetrack Standardbreds race in one of two gaits - a trot or a pace.  (Draken raced as a pacer, meaning that his front and hind left side legs moved forward at the same time.  In the show ring Draken does not pace, he trots or moves his left front leg forward the same time he moves his right back leg forward.)

Many Standardbred resemble Thoroughbreds but they tend to be longer in body and shorter.  Most Standardbreds averaging between 15 and 16 hands and weigh between 800 and 1,000 pounds. STBs come in all colors but most are brown or bay.  They are well known of their easy going temperament.

Standardbreds on the racetrack generally trot the mile in under 2 minutes.  By comparison, the average horse has a speed of 8-10 miles an hour at the trot.  (When we first got Draken his average trot was between 13-15 miles per hour.  Through training, and age, Draken now averages about 8 miles an hour.) 

If you're interested in learning more about Standardbred racing please visit the United States Trotting Association.