Horses
The top Trotters and Pacers
Top 10 Horses All-Time by Earnings
Pacers
When pacers race, the legs on the same side of their body move in unison. They can also be identified by their hobbles, which are the loops connecting parallel legs that help them maintain their gait. A horse that can’t maintain its gait goes “off-stride,” which means it starts to gallop and must move out of the way and lose ground until it can recover its gait. There will usually be more pacing races than trotting races during a race card, and pacers tend to go faster.
Top 10 Pacers All-Time by Earnings
Trotters
When trotters race, the diagonal legs move in unison. The trotting gait is more natural for the horse, so most do not need equipment to help them trot, although some wear loops on their front legs to maintain their rhythm, called trotting hobbles. The horses you see on the track have been bred to perform at their particular gait. While some may be able to switch gaits, most race at the same gait as the generations before them. Also, the special shoes and equipment they wear helps them maintain that particular gait.
Top 10 Trotters All-Time by Earnings
- BEE A MAGICIAN
- MARKET SHARE
- MAGICIAN
- ARCH MADNESS
- ATLANTA
- MR MUSCLEMAN
- MARION MARAUDER
- VIVID PHOTO
- MUSCLE HILL
- DEWEYCHEATUMNHOWE
As of Jan. 1st, 2023
Drivers
A driver sits behind the horse in a race bike, or sulky, and steers the horse around the track. A driver must have a special license from the United States Trotting Association that gives him or her permission to drive a horse in a race. Drivers have uniforms, specific to them, called “colors.” Each driver’s colors has a unique pattern and arrangement of colors and must be registered with the USTA. Unlike Thoroughbred racing, where each jockey wears the horse owner’s “silks,” drivers wear their individual colors regardless of the owner of the horse.
Top 10 Drivers All-Time by Earnings
Trainers
A trainer is responsible for the conditioning and care of a horse. Trainers are hired by owners to get their horses ready to race, and to help them perform at their best. Trainers are also in charge of fitting the horses with the right equipment to maximize their racing potential, and making sure they stay healthy and strong throughout the season.
Top 10 Trainers All-Time by Earnings
Owners
An owner is the person who purchases the horse, and pays the bills to feed and take care of it. An owner can be an individual or a partnership, which is a group of people that share the responsibilities and profits earned by a horse.
Top 10 Owners All-Time by Earnings
- Burke Racing Stable LLC
- Weaver Bruscemi LLC
- Brittany Farms LLC
- Howard Taylor
- John Fielding
- Christina Takter
- Theodore Gewertz
- ROBERT MCINTOSH STABLES INC
- Ray Schnittker
- Jerry Silva
As of Jan. 1st, 2023
Breeders
Standardbred horses are typically bred for racing.
Top 10 Breeders All-Time by Earnings
- Hanover Shoe Farms Inc.
- Winbak Farm
- Brittany Farms LLC
- Armstrong Bros
- Castleton Farm
- Perretti Farms
- White Birch Farm
- Kentuckiana Farms Gen Par
- Fox Valley Standardbreds
- Seelster Farms Inc
As of Jan. 1st, 2023