The American Saddlebred was developed in the 18th century by colonialists in America who wanted an all-purpose horse. The Narragansett Pacers, a Rhode Island horse, and the
Thoroughbred crosses resulted in a beautiful horse with a smooth ride, ideal for those that work all day sited on a horse. It is believed that Canadian and Morgan blood was also added to the Saddlebred.

This breed started to be a work horse, used primarily in plantations, but quickly turned out to be a show horse, thanks not only to his looks, but also to his gait diversity. The Saddlebred is a five-gaited horse able to walk, trot, cantor, as all the other breeds, and also able to rack, a harsh trot accelerated, and to do a slow gait, similar to a parade walk.

The demand for aesthetic perfection led to some irregular practices in this breed, especially concerning the tail. Surgical procedure would be done just to turn it erect and then an uncomfortable tail set would be applied while the horse was stabled, preventing him to properly relax. These methods are forbidden in most countries, but many still practice them. Other common practice is to let the feet grow unnaturally long to incentive the gait and to make the horses higher.  

The Saddlebred is an easy horse to train, obedient and intelligent, however it is somewhat excitable. These horses are very sociable: they like people and like to be touched. The Saddlebred is fast, good jumper and has an extremely comfortable gait.

The Saddlebred has a strong presence and delicate movements. The head is small with large eyes, ending in two pricked ears. The neck is long, fine and graceful. The body is well-muscled.

All simple colorations are allowed: chestnut, bay, brown, black, grey and also palomino, roan and spotted. The head usually has some white as well as the legs.

The Saddlebred is seen as the peacock of show horses. It is usual to see him in jump shows, dressage and all the other Olympic sports.

The Narragansett Pacers and the Thoroughbreds are the biggest influences in this breed. The Morgan and the Canadian also gave their contributions to the improvement of the Saddlebred.