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Days in Horse Country – Narragansett
Pacer
Wild animal
species aren’t the only living things to become extinct. Horse breeds can also go the way of the dinosaur. That is what happened to a horse called the Narragansett
Pacer.
The Narragansett Pacer was a U.S. breed that developed in the 1600s, reportedly in Rhode Island. No one knows for sure how the breed was created, although some historians believe it came from a cross between British Hobbie and Galloway horses and Spanish stock. The breed was used as a saddle horse and also for racing by the colonists.
The Narragansett Pacer, which was usually chestnut in colour, was known its very smooth gait, which was most likely a four-beat movement. Although not a flash horse, the breed’s gait was considered very desirable.
As a result, the Narragansett Pacer was crossed to other breeds in the hopes of recreating the pacing gait in larger, more impressive looking mounts. The consequences of all this out-crossing was the eventual destruction of the breed. Shortly after the Revolutionary War, the Narragansett Pacer became extinct.
Before its demise, the Narragansett Pacer contributed to the development of several U.S. breeds that can still be found today, including the Tennessee Walking Horse, the Saddlebred, and the Standardbred.
Michael