page_title: American Saddlebred
section_title: Film and celebrity affiliation
hierarchical_section_title: American Saddlebred / Uses / Film and celebrity affiliation
caption_attribution_description: Cover of January/February 1994 issue of American Saddlebred magazine
context_page_description: The American Saddlebred is a horse breed from the United States. This breed was referred to as the "Horse America Made". Descended from riding-type horses bred at the time of the American Revolution, the American Saddlebred includes the Narragansett Pacer, Canadian Pacer, Morgan and Thoroughbred among its ancestors. Developed into its modern type in Kentucky, it was once known as the "Kentucky Saddler", and used extensively as an officer's mount in the American Civil War. In 1891, a breed registry was formed in the United States. Throughout the 20th century, the breed's popularity continued to grow in the United States, and exports began to South Africa and Great Britain. Since the formation of the US registry, almost 250,000 American Saddlebreds have been registered, and can now be found around the world, with separate breed registries established in Great Britain, Australia, continental Europe, and southern Africa.
  Averaging 15 to 16 hands in height, Saddlebreds are known for their sense of presence and style, as well as for their spirited, yet gentle, temperament. They may be of any color, including pinto patterns, which have been acknowledged in the breed since the late 1800s.
context_section_description: Many film and television horses of the Golden Age of Hollywood were also Saddlebreds, including the horses used in lead roles in My Friend Flicka, National Velvet, Fury and one version of Black Beauty. A part-Saddlebred played the lead role in the TV series Mr. Ed, and a Saddlebred was used in a prominent role in Giant. In the 1990s, William Shatner, an actor and Saddlebred breeder, rode one of his own horses, a mare named Great Belles of Fire, in his role as James T. Kirk in Star Trek Generations. Numerous other celebrities have been owners and exhibitors of the breed, including Shatner, Clark Gable, Will Rogers, Joe Louis, and Carson Kressley.
caption: William Shatner on the cover of American Saddlebred magazine
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