Quote:
Originally Posted by bello
Irresponsible breeding has caused this problem and continues to make the thorobred more fragile.
The second item that make harness racing better is the durability of the standardbred. At yesterday Little Brown Jug races leading trainer Bob Mcintosh was interviewed and discussed how his wife turned his champion trotter into a show horse.
Harness horses can race 35-50 times a year and generally keep their form.
How many t'breds can race even 15 times a year. Very few and it is getting worse.
As an earlier poster said, horses that break down early and are bred continue to proliferate and worsen the problem.
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In the old days Standardbreds would pull the family wagon during the week and race on the weekend. They would be driven to the county fair where they would race, Even now in races like the Hambletonian they will race in back to back heats. They were bred for soundness and in addition the trotting and pacing gates their hooves don't hit the ground as hard as T-Breds running which is why Stanandardbred tracks are not as deep as T-Bred tracks.
