Quarter
Horses
The Quarter
Horse, one of the most popular breeds in the entire
world, is truly an American creation. In fact, it was the
first American breed. As early as the 1600s, colonists bred
English Thoroughbreds to native mares of Spanish descent,
resulting in a horse that was compact, muscular, and quick.
One of the most important of these Thoroughbreds was Janus,
who was brought to Virginia in 1756. His offspring were
noted for their tremendous speed at the quarter mile, and
they became known as “Quarter Milers.” They were the common
man’s answer to the expensive Thoroughbred racehorses owned
by the wealthy. The Quarter Milers could perform farm work
all week and race on the weekends.
As America expanded
westward, ranchers out west needed a strong, docile mount
with a quick burst of speed for working cattle and
performing other ranch work, so the Quarter Horse was
developed as a distinct breed in order to fulfill a need.
Large ranches like the Four Sixes Ranch, Waggoner Ranch, and
especially the King Ranch of Texas were instrumental in the
breeding and development of the modern American Quarter
Horse.
As racing became more
and more popular in the West, horse breeders wanted even
more speed in their ranch horses. More Thoroughbred
bloodlines were added, along with Arabian, Morgan, and
Standardbred lines.
Ranchers and horsemen
in the southwestern US who were aficionados of these tough,
muscular steeds banned together in an effort to preserve and
promote the breed, and in 1940, the American Quarter Horse
Association was formed. The first registration number was
given to Wimpy, a descendant of King Ranch’s Old Sorrel.
Other founding sires include Poco Bueno, Joe Reed, Joe
Hancock, King P-234, Leo, and Peppy. Thoroughbreds like
Three Bars and Top Deck were also important sires to the
modern breed we know today as the AQHA.

Registered Quarter
Horses are often still bred to registered Thoroughbreds,
resulting in an appendix registration. The horse can only
become permanently registered in the AQHA stud book by
proving itself in AQHA-sanctioned shows and
races.
The modern quarter
Horse has heavily muscling, a refined head, and short
pricked ears. Those with foundation bloodlines, often called
“bulldog” Quarter Horses, are short, with powerful
hindquarters and shoulders and a wide chest. This
“stock-type” Quarter Horse excels at cutting, reining,
barrel racing, and roping events. Quarter Horses used as
hunter-jumpers and dressage are generally taller and
leggier, with less dense muscling, evidence of their
Thoroughbred bloodlines.
Quarter Horses are
agile, athletic, and they have wonderful temperaments. They
are often chosen as a first mount for novice adults and for
children. When properly trained, they can excel in
practically any discipline, including timed events, halter,
English and western pleasure, racing, driving, and as family
pets. Their popularity has grown and expanded to other
nations, as well, with a large number of horses being
exported regularly to Europe. The AQHA has nearly 4 million
horses registered, making it the largest horse registry in
the world.
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