Origin
United States
History
The Quarter Horse is one of Americas´s oldest and most popular breeds, tracing its family tree to the horses of the Spanish conquistadores on one side and to the colonial horses brought from England and Europe on the other.
The American Quarter Horse was first bred early in the 17th century, in Virginia. The first significant importation of English horses to Virginia was a cargo of 17 stallions and mares which arrived in 1611.These horses were of the native "running horse" stock that provided the base element for the English Thoroughbred.
When intercolonial match races were held between horses of Rhode Island and Virginia, the success of the Spanish horses were so great that they were crossed with the Anglo-American horses, and the American Quarter Horse was in the making.
The most prized characteristic of these early horses was their ability to sprint over short distances from an explosive standing start. The sports-loving English settlers raced their horses over quarter-mile stretches cut through the scrub, over similar distances on paths among the plantations, or even in the village street. For this reason the horse became known as the "Quarter Horse" or "quarter-miler".
By 1656 Quarter Horse racing in Virginia was established and popular, and the breed was becoming recognized as the supreme short-distance racer. Later, when the Thoroughbred was introduced to the United States, oval tracks were constructed and distance racing was introduced. As a result, the popularity of the quarter-mile sprints declined, and within a short time these races were abandoned in the eastern states. The Quarter Horse then shifted to the west, where its speed, balance, and agility made it the perfect cow horse.
From time to time over the years Thoroughbred blood has been used to refine and upgrade the Quarter Horse.
There are 11 foundation Quarter Horse families, at the root of which are the breed´s two most notable foundation sires - Janus and Sir Archy. Janus, an imported English horse who died in 1780, was responsible, through his son of the same name, for the great printer line, which is one of the most influential. Sir Archy, the son of the first English Derby winner, Diomed, was also concerned with the beginnings of the American Saddlebred. The Shiloh, Old Billy, Steel Dust, and Cold Deck families trace to him, and two of the best and most influential of the 20th-century sires, Joe Bailey and Peter McCue, are his descendants.
The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) is the largest horse breed organization on earth and in all of history, with affiliate associations in fifteen countries. The largest Quarter Horse population outside the US is to be found in Australia. More than 3million registered Quarter Horses grace the stud books of the AQHA.
Description
- Head:
short, fine with small, alert ears and lively eyes set wide apart. The profile is usually straight - Conformation:
-muscular, well formed, and somewhat arched neck
-well defined and usually prominent withers
-wide and deep chest
-long, usually well sloped, and muscular shoulder
-short and straight back
-long, muscular and rounded croup
-solid and well formed legs with broad, clean joints and very muscular thighs, gaskins and forearms - Average height:
14.3 to 16 h.h. - Colours:
the Quarter Horse has 13 recognized colours ranging from shades of brown to black, sorrel and grey. Sorrel is the most common colour. Appaloosa and Pinto markings are not allowed, but white markings on the face and legs are common - Temperament:
kind, easy disposition - Today:
originally a race horse by profession, it branched out as a cow horse, where it still excels, and on to any job a horse may be asked to do, including pleasure riding, show jumping, dressage. The breed excels as a trail riding mount and also in the traditional rodeo classes. Recently there has been an incredible revival in Quarter Horse racing, with prize money often exceeding that available in Thoroughbred racing.
