Bonnie Jackal, age 12 of Atlanta, Ga. for her question:
How did the Thoroughbred originate?
The word Thoroughbred is properly applied to a certain horse. He belongs to a noble breed of racers. Every true Thoroughbred can trace his fathers back over 200 years. For the famous breed of elegant creatures originated in England in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
How the breed originated is a fascinating part of history. It concerns the people of Merry Old England, a grim dictator and a light hearted king, The grim dictator was Oliver Cromwell who preferred military glory to the happiness of his people. For 11 years the people endured his siege of austerity. Then they rejected it. The mood of England was now ready to make up for lost fun.
Charles 111 the tall, dark, handsome Stuart king was recalled to the throne. This elegant gentleman promised his people fun, and he kept his word. Church bells rang again after their long silencer dancing around the maypole was revived. Theaters were opened and rollicking new comedies played to packed audiences. The glamorous king entered into the fun and was affectionately called the Merry Monarch.
The Merry Monarch, however, was not so reckless as some would have us think. The handsome, polished king was no fool. He saw the sense of good manners and his adoring subjects copied his elegance. He loved science and had his own laboratory. He chartered the famous Royal Society to encourage the study of science.
What’s more, this glamorous thoughtful fellow was also a great sportsman. He loved the sea and her ships. Above all, he loved horses. He was an excellent rider and he enjoyed watching a good horse race. It is this aspect of the Merry Monarch’s character which led to the origin of the Thoroughbred.
Charles set out to improve the horses in the royal stables. He imported long‑legged Barb mares from the Barbary Coast of Africa. The horse‑loving king lived to see splendid racers from his own stable. The fashion for breeding good horses continued after his death in 1685 and Charles often is called the father of the English turf.
In 1689 a splendid stallion named Byerly Turk was imported to the royal stables. In 1706 came Darley Arabian and in 1724 came Godolphin Arabian. These three Arab sires fathered the best racing breed the world has ever known. Some time later horses of this breed were called Thoroughbreds.
These English racers soon were in demand all over the world. In 1730 a Thoroughbred named Bulle Rock was brought to Virginia. And Bulle Rock was the son of Darley Arabian. Others followed and soon America was producing her own line of Thoroughbreds. Nowadays, about 5,000 of those aristocrats are born here every year.
Every Thoroughbred has a pedigree ‑ a family tree in which his ancestors are listed. Every Thoroughbred can trace his fathers back to Byerly Turk, Darley Arabian or Godolphin Arabian. Very often, the lines are crossed and a pedigree goes back to two or all three of those proud founding fathers.