Quarter Horse

The Quarter Horse is so-called for their bursts of speed, which can only be sustained over short distances. The horse has a small, neat head, with a broad forehead and a well-formed, muscular neck. The Quarter Horse has an excellent temperament making it a superb riding horse. The versatility of the Quarter Horse means that it also works well with cattle.

The Quarter Horse is one of America's oldest and certainly its most popular breed of horse. It developed during the 17th century from the horses that the Spanish conquistadores took to America with them - mainly Andalusian, Barb, and Arabian. This base stock was then crossed with the early Thoroughbred types that were imported to America in 1611 and hence the foundations for the Quarter Horse were laid.

The first English horses imported in 1611 were known as running horses, and would have been the forerunners of the English Thoroughbred. They were transported to Virginia and, after the legalization of racing by Governor Nicholson in about 1620, there began concerted efforts to breed horses for speed. The early races were almost always short - usually about one quarter mile - and by 1690, the prize money being offered was considerable. This was the background against which they developed and it is often considered that the breed was primarily geared toward prowess on the racecourse, before its many other qualities were discovered.

The early improvement in the Quarter Horse-so called because of its great speed at one quarter of a mile-and the early development of the Thoroughbred in the United States were closely associated. Some sires contributed notably to both breeds. Many short-distance horses were registered in the American Stud Book as Thoroughbreds when the Stud Book was established, even though they did not trace in all lines to imported English stock.

It is more logical to assume that the true establishment of the Quarter Horse took place some time later in the southwest range country, rather than in colonial times. It was in the southwest that the true utility value of these short-distance horses were truly appreciated. The cowman found they were quick to start, easy to handle, and of a temperament suitable for handling cattle under a wide variety of conditions. Even in the Southwest much was unknown of the breeding of many of the horses that were classified and registered in the 1940s as Quarter Horses. It is logical, therefore, to conclude that until the Stud Book was established and the pedigrees were based on fact rather than on memory and assumptions, the Quarter Horse should have been called a type of horse rather than a breed.

In appearance they are highly attractive, with fine intelligent heads and long, graceful necks set to muscular shoulders. They are deep and wide through the chest, have quite low withers, a nicely proportioned back, well-make quarters and strong, tough legs. Conformation of the shoulders is generally good and this accounts for their smooth, free-flowing action. The ideal coat coloring is an unusual and attractive chocolate brown with flaxen mane and tail, although they can be any solid color, and they stand at between 14.2 hh and 16. hh.

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