Gaines' Denmark

Gaines' Denmark
Breed	Thoroughbred (~70%) American Saddlebred
Sire	Denmark
Grandsire	Hedgeford
Dam	Stevenson mare
Maternal grandsire	Cockspur
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1851
Country	United States
Color	Black
Owner	Edward P. Gaines

Gaines' Denmark (foaled 1851) was one of the most influential stallions in the development of the American Saddlebred.

Life

Gaines' Denmark was foaled in 1851 in Bardstown, Kentucky. He was a black stallion with two white hind socks, sired by the Thoroughbred stallion Denmark out of a part-bred mare known as the "Stevenson mare".[1] Gaines' Denmark sired four influential sons: Washington Denmark, Diamond Denmark, Star Denmark, and Sumpter Denmark.

Upon the start of the American Civil War in 1861, offspring of Gaines' Denmark were put into a cavalry troop led by Confederate General John Hunt Morgan. Although Gaines' Denmark survived the war, he did not accomplish much as a sire after it. Prior to the war, he was used as a show horse. Today, he is considered one of the progenitors of the American Saddlebred horse breed.[2][3]

As a stud, Gaines' Denmark first caught the attention of American Saddlebred Horse Association founder and president John B. Castleman in 1857. Castleman, then a 16-year-old teenager, purchased a 3-year-old, "three-fourths Thoroughbred" gelding named Lightfoot that was sired by Gaines' Denmark out of "a mare by Boston". With the assistance of Isaac Byrd, an enslaved African American who was owned by Castleman's family, Castleman trained Lightfoot to be a "saddle" show horse, and entered him into a local horse show. The horse fetched an "unprecedented price", and Castleman became further interested in Gaines' Denmark as a foundational sire for the Saddlebred.[4]

Gaines' Denmark was owned and bred by Edward P. Gaines, a breeder of "saddle horses" who lived near Georgetown, Kentucky and Lexington, Kentucky.[5]

Sire line tree

• Gaines' Denmark[6][7][8][9]
  • Washington Denmark
    • King William
      • Black Eagle[10]
        • Black Squirrel
          • Chester Dare
            • Happy Dare
              • Beechwold Chester
    • Cromwell
      • Washington
        • Preston[11]
    • Jewel Denmark[12]
      • Beau Brummel of Kenmore
  • Star Denmark
  • Diamond Denmark
    • Montrose[13][14]
      • Moss Rose
      • King Lee Rose[11][15][16]
        • Nickel Plate
        • Guided By Love
        • Cascade
  • Lail's Denmark Chief
    • Crigler's Denmark[9]
      • Rex Denmark[13]
        • Rex McDonald
        • Rex Donnell
  • Sumpter Denmark

Pedigree

Pedigree of Gaines' Denmark, black stallion, 1851

Sire Denmark[17] br. 1839	Hedgeford (GB)[17] br. 1825	Filho da Puta (GB)[17] br. 1812	Haphazard (by Sir Peter Teazle)[17] 1797
			Mrs. Barnet (by Waxy)[17] 1806
		Miss Craigie (GB)[17] b. 1811	Orville (by Beningbrough)[17] 1799
			Marchioness (Eclipse line)[17] 1797
	Betsy Harrison (USA)[17] b. 1828	Aratus (USA)[17] b. 1820	Director (by Sir Archy)[17] 1811
			Betsy Haxall (by Sir Harry)[17] 18??
		Jenny Cockracy (USA)[17] ch. 1813	Potomac (by Diomed)[17] 1803
			Saltram mare (by Saltram)[17] 1799
Dam Stevenson mare[17] b. 1848	Cockspur (USA)[17]	Cock Robin (USA)[18]	Son of Janus (USA) (Janus line)[18]
			Daughter of Meade's Celer (Janus line)[18]
		Daughter of Hotspur[18]	Hotspur (USA) (Sir Archy line)[18]
			Roan Racking Mare[18]
	Canadian Horse mare[19][Note 1]	unknown	unknown
			unknown
		unknown	unknown
			unknown

Notes

1. The Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association (MFTHBA) lists the "Stevenson mare" dam as a Narragansett Pacer, but most academic and pedigree sources indicate that the Pacer had largely gone extinct as a breed by 1848. Another source lists the dam as a "Canadian Horse mare", which is more likely.

References

1. Chas. l. Cook, Jr (4 March 2015). Historical Memories of American Saddlebred Visionaries. ISBN 9781935538097.
2. Hendricks, Bonnie L. (2007). International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds. ISBN 9780806138848.
3. "United States Congressional serial set". 1903.
4. Castleman, John B. (1917). Active Service (PDF). Louisville, Kentucky: Legare Street Press. ISBN 978-1015639072. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
5. "James Gaines House". National Park Service. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
6. "Bureau of Animal Industry". 20 May 1903 – via Google Books.
7. Just the right horse: about
8. American Saddlebred
9. Gaines' Denmark sons and grandsons #1
10. Black Eagle Offspring
11. WORLD’S GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP FIVE-GAITED STAKE
12. Jewel Offspring
13. Gaines' Denmark sons and grandsons #2
14. Montrose: Saddlebred Beauty and Style
15. A Saddlebred stallion famous in two countries during his lifetime and beyond
16. King Lee Rose Offspring
17. "Gaines' Denmark". American Saddlebred Horse and Breeders Association. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
18. "Cockspur". American Saddlebred Horse and Breeders Association. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
19. Esther, Janet. "Missouri Fox Trotters From the Past…Nancy Ann". Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association. Retrieved 26 September 2024.