Raising the Standards for Equine Demos!

Today’s demo group is all about showing people just how versatile their speedy track stars are after their race career is over! Meet Ohio Standardbreds & Friends! This fun group has become a fan favorite at BreyerFest and promotes the Standardbred breed while showing all the wonderful things they can do beyond racing. Through years of Debbie Schiff’s involvement with horses and horse events she found that promotional events were needed to highlight the versatility of the Standardbreds - that is one of the main reasons she created Ohio Standardbreds & Friends over ten years ago. 

Standardbreds first became popular in America in the early 18th century as harness racing became popular. Early Standardbreds were a mix of various breeds like the English Thoroughbred, Morgan, Hackney, the Canadian Pacer and the Narragansett Pacer. The foundation sire of the Standardbred is Hambletonian 10, who was the great-grandson of an English Thoroughbred and produced both trotters and pacers. The most common color of the Standardbred is bay, but they do come in many other colors as well.

Standardbreds, born and raised to race at the pace or trot, make wonderful equine partners during and after their racing careers. Some have had great careers on the track and others make wonderful partners on the trail or in the ring. Over the past ten plus years, this group has presented their horses at Equine Affaire showcasing many different disciplines from the jog cart and race bike to Dressage and everything in between! They also host breed weekends every year at the Kentucky Horse Park. Their BreyerFest presentation is the “icing on the cake” for this demo group, and their riders and drivers love the atmosphere, the organization of the event, and of course, the fans!

In addition to performing in demos, Ohio Standardbreds & Friends also host several horse shows each year. The group held the World Standardbred Horse Show for five years and has also hosted hunter paces, poker runs, trail challenges, driving clinics and Trail rides. The breed makes a perfect first horse for kids and adults alike. Their calm nature, versatility, stamina and willingness to please is what most people love about Standardbreds.

Make sure you catch this versatile group in action daily in the Covered Arena during BreyerFest weekend! They will also be back at the Event Stables telling guests all about the amazing Standardbred breed.