LEGACY OF LEXINGTON

- Is the American Thoroughbred a sprint-only breed?

- Are only stamina-bred Thoroughbreds suitable for Olympic-style sport breeding?

- Is America new to international sport horse breeding?

- Are there any American Thoroughbred bloodlines that excel in show jumping, dressage, and eventing?

You will find the answers to those questions and more in Legacy of Lexington, a book written expressly as a reference for the sport horse breeder in North America. This is also the story of Lexington, one of the greatest racehorses of all time, whose record as a stallion has never been bettered-a position he's held for over one hundred fifty years. This book will detail both how, contrary to the current dogma in sport horse circles, it is in America that breeders developed the definitive distance racehorse in the world, and also where you can find those bloodlines in the Thoroughbred and other American breeds. You will learn the story of what happened when our American horse traveled to Europe to compete in the mid-1800s, and how the excellence of Lexington's bloodline, his close relatives and his peers, threatened to overwhelm the British and European racing industry in the late 19th century with their devastating racing superiority. This shocking display of racing class and athleticism resulted in the British Jockey Club overreacting by banning the American Thoroughbred from the breed studbook and from breeding worldwide.

You will also discover that the American sportsman has been fielding a successful international sport horse (Hunter-part TB) since the late 1800s. Here you will find why the modern American Thoroughbred is different from every other Thoroughbred breeding population, and how it came to be the highest rated in the world. It will show you the 'hidden' American bloodlines found in the best English, French, Italian, and German Thoroughbreds and Warmbloods, and also how and why unsoundness has become attached to contemporary bloodlines and what we as breeders can do about it; including explaining how you can apply Tesio Methods to bring back the soundness and athletic strength of our former breed of super horses to your sport product of today.

Kathleen H. Kirsan

The author, Kathleen Kirsan, has been involved with sport horse breeding since 1988 and has been writing on the subject since 2003. Driven by a deep interest in genetics and how it applies to sport horse performance, she has become a leader in pedigree evaluation and employing Tesio Methods to sport horse design. With a well-respected website, www.sport-horse-breeder.com, on the air, she is also frequently consulted by breeders and breed associations for her knowledge of bloodlines and equine history. Besides being a prolific author of well-read web articles, she has published writings for magazines and trade journals, as well as a book on the North American sport horse, its history, and its bloodlines: North American Sport Horse Breeder.