Northeast Hackney Assoc.
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Have you ever wished you lived in the days of old, before traffic jams and noxious exhaust fumes?  Did you ever say, "Oh, if I had just lived 100 years ago?"

A Hackney horse or pony would love to take you back in time - to recreate the sounds of yesteryear. They love to transport you along smartly, whether on their backs or in a cart or carriage.  They require in return love and care, just as any pet.

Click to learn more about:

hackbutton.gif (911 bytes) Hackney's in the Northeast
hackbutton.gif (911 bytes) Hackney History
hackbutton.gif (911 bytes) Hackney Types

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A Cob-Tail Hackney
Photo: Stan Phaneuf

Roadster Hackney
A Roadster Hackney
Johnston
Shown by Grace Brooks Knibb
Photo:  Bob Moseder

 Hackneys, especially the ponies, are easy to keep.  They don't take up a lot of space and are relatively inexpensive to buy and maintain.  And they are so much fun.

A Hackney can teach a child the lessons of life...the caring and sharing between a child and a Hackney is one of life's greatest joys.

They love to be driven and make their owners proud, both in the show ring and on a quiet country road.  Under saddle, they are equally affable.  Their longevity and soundness are legendary. 

Above all, the Hackney loves to please, whether it is under the lights of a show ring or the canopy of green leaves on a country road.

 
Hackney History

The development of the Hackney breed matched, stride for stride, the improvement in both quality of life and the use of public roadways in Britain.  Prosperous farmers, not nobility, were responsible for developing this high-tech carriage and riding horse.   As noblemen were busying themselves with fox-hunters and Thoroughbred race horses, the wealthy farmers took to the roads to show off the tangible fruits of their labors.   A pair of perfectly matched boys with elegant head carriage, trotting along smartly, their knees rising almost to their noses...ah, that was the proof of abundant crops, calves and lambs.

The origins of the Hackney as we know it began in Norfolk, England where the horses called Norfolk Trotters had been selectively bred for elegant style and speed. Seeking to improve on both accounts, breeders mated the Norfolk mares to grandsons of the foundation sires of the Thoroughbred. The first Hackney as we know the breed today is said to be The Shale's Horse, foaled in 1760. During the next 50 years, the Hackney was developed as a special breed.

The seas were being crossed regularly during the 1800's, by ships bearing both Hackney horses and the smaller ponies which certain breeders were selectively encouraging.

Vast improvements in British roadways in the mid-1800's also contributed to the development of the swift trotting horse. These roads did not always demand heavy dray animals which tug carts from deep ruts. Now, a man could say "Trot On" and really go!

The breeding of Hackneys in England was formalized in the founding of the Hackney Stud Book Society in 1883

This was the Golden Age of Driving, when automobiles were not even a dream. The Hackney was the ultimate driving machine of the 1880's both in America and Britain. The first Hackney pony imported to America was 239 Stella, brought to Philadelphia by Mr. A.J. Cassatt in 1878. In 1891, Mr. Cassatt and other Hackney enthusiasts founded the American Hackney Horse Society, an organization and registry which thrives today. From 1890 until Depression, wealthy Americans brought boatload after boatload of horses and ponies of the most noted strains.

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Hackney Horse
Haven's Spaceman
Edward Ochsenschlager & Mort
Photo: Bob Moseder

 

 


Harness Pony
T/O Royal Shamrock
Owned by David and Janine LaSalle
 Photo:  Bob Moseder

Today's hackney horse and pony inspires the same loyalty and affection from its owners as the Hackney of yesteryear. The remarkable high-stepping gait is exciting to watch. The exuberance of a Hackney transmits joy to both owner and spectator.

Once you have seen a Hackney travel smartly down a road, all other horses and ponies seem merely ordinary.

The Hackney Types:

The Hackney Harness Pony (or Long Tail) must measure 12.2 hands or under at the withers. It must be shown with a long mane and an undocked tail. Classes offered in this very competitive division include Open and Amateur, including Ladies, Gentlemen or Junior exhibitor.

The Hackney Cob Tail division is for ponies measuring over 12.2 hands and under 14.2 hands at the withers. These ponies must be shown with the appearance of a shortened tail and with a braided mane. Classes offered in this very competitive division include Open and Amateur, including Ladies, or Gentlemen.

The Hackney Roadster ponies are the speedsters of the Hackney breed. They are shown to a two-wheeled road bike with their drivers wearing racing silks. There are three divisions for the roadsters, the Open, Amateur, and Junior Exhibitor. Roadsters are shown at the jog-trot, road gait and then at "speed".

Another class for the Hackney is the Pleasure Driving Division. These ponies may be Longtail or Cob Tail, and are shown with unbraided manes and tails to an appropriate pleasure vehicle. They are shown only by by Amateurs - Ladies, Gentlemen or Juveniles. They are to be quiet, easy and a pure pleasure to drive.

Source:  The American Hackney Horse Society

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