All About
The American
Quarter Horse
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Everything You Need To Know About
The American Quarter Horse
From Wikipedia, www.wikipedia.org
The American Quarter Horse is a breed of horse originally bred
specifically to race the quarter mile. It is today equally well
known for its performance in rodeos and horse shows. The compact
body of the Quarter Horse is well-suited to the intricate and
speedy maneuvers required in roping and other stock-horse events.
Riders are also known to show Quarter Horses in English and Hunt
classes, although these types of events are more normally
dominated by Thoroughbreds and Warmblood crosses. Also known as
"America's Horse", the Quarter Horse is the most popular breed in
the United States. They can also boast the largest breed society
in the world, with over 3.5 million Quarter Horses registered
worldwide.
American Quarter Horse Breed History
The American colonists began, in the 1690s, to cross imported
English horses with Chickasaw Ponies (which originated from
Spanish and Barb stock). The resulting horse was small, hardy,
and quick, and it was used as a work horse during the week, and a
race horse on the weekend.
As flat racing became popular with the colonists, this horse
gained in popularity as a sprinter. Even when matched against a
Thoroughbred, the small horse always won in short, quarter-mile
races. And so its name became the "Quarter Horse" for the
distance it so excelled in.
In the 1800s, pioneers heading West wanted a hardy, willing
horse. They found at this time that the horse also had innate
"cow sense," and its popularity grew with cattlemen on ranches.
Even after the invention of the automobile, the Quarter Horse was
still bred for cattle work.
In 1940, the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) was formed
to preserve the breed. Later that decade there was some
Thoroughbred blood added, before the stud book closed.
Today, Europe has been importing Quarter Horses at nearly the
same rate North America imports warmbloods. Germany in particular
has been drawn to this breed. The horses are not only ideal for
ranch and cattle work, barrel racing, and gymkhana events, but
have also been trained to international levels of dressage and
are generally very good jumpers. They also are still used as a
sprinter on the racetrack, running their traditional quarter-mile
race in speeds up to 55 miles per hour.
American Quarter Horse Breed Characteristics
There are as many types of Quarter Horses as there are types of
work they do. However, there are two main body types: the stock
type and the running type. The stock horse type is shorter, more
compact, stocky and very well muscled, yet agile. The running
Quarter Horse is lighter, similar to a Thoroughbred, and is built
to sprint.
Quarter Horses shown in hand have a bulky, "bulldog" appearance
due to their incredibly muscular build and jowly appearance.
Reiners and cutters are smaller, with cat-like, quick movement
and very powerful hindquarters. Western pleasure horses have a
level topline and smooth gaits. Quarter Horse racehorses have
long legs and are much leaner than their "stock horse"
counterparts. The show hunter type is similar to the running type
Quarter Horse. However, all Quarter Horses have speed, stamina,
power, and a great willingness to please.
American Quarter Horse Colors
Quarter Horses come in all colors, even palomino, with
sorrel/chestnut being the most common color. They usually stand
14-16 hands high.
The Thoroughbred breed is a accepted outcross for Quarter Horses;
the major Quarter Horse breed registry, the American Quarter
Horse Association, accepts Quarter Horse/Thoroughbred crosses
into the registry as "Appendix Quarter Horses." These animals are
popular for Quarter Horse Racing and for Jumping and Hunter
events.
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