HOBBY, BARB, TURK AND ARABIAN IN EARLY AMERICAN THOROUGHBREDS

The sort of horse called a “Barb” in 18th century England was usually a blend of either Barb and Turkmene or Barb and Hobby. This mid-18th century portrait by Stubbs shows both the conformation and the frequent white markings very realistically. Of the three root strains, the Barb is the least likely to be a natural ambler and this strain probably maintained the wild-type DMRT3 allele in the Thoroughbred population. Very few Asil or pure-blooded Arabians probably contributed to the foundation of the Thoroughbred; most of them which were so called were Turks or else “diplomatic Arabians,” which were crosses of Arabian on Turkmene. These, too, were unlikely to be amblers.