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Introduction.
Perhaps it was the cowboy mystique, or its versatility or the colonists who brought their race horses out west. Whatever it was that created their popularity, this is the #1 breed in the world. The American Quarter Horse Association claims well above 3,000,000 horses in its registry.
History.
Horseracing was a popular sport among our forefathers, the colonists. Races were one-quarter mile and were generally run in the streets and along country paths. During that time they were called Quarter Pathers. Later as we grew westward, these horses were brought along and used by farmers, town folk and by cowboys on ranches.
Their popularity grew out of a need for an intelligent, athletic, adaptable horse. It was said that a good quarter horse can turn on a dime and give you change. These attributes combined with so called cowy or cow sense made it the perfect working partner for cowboys. Ranchers continued to improve the breed by selecting and breeding the best cowboy type horses thus, increasing their popularity.
Then in 1941 The American Quarter Horse Association was founded and The King Ranch (Texas) Stallion "Wimpy" became registration number 1. Many different breeds and uses played a role in its development. This resulted in different types or looks of quarter horses today.
Some horses are used for competition, such as western pleasure, trail, halter etc. Others are used for racing and are bred for speed for short distances. Still others are Hunters and Jumpers and have been bred with Thoroughbreds to produce a more thoroughbred-type of conformation*.
Some of the more famous sires in recent history include names like Leo, King, Doc Bar, Top Deck, Three Bars, Easy Jet, Go Man Go and Impressive.
*Conformation is an important subject that will be addressed under multiple topics on this site in the future.
Foundation.
To achieve the speed necessary to produce ? mile racehorses, the colonists bred Arab, barb and Turk horses to English mares. This produced a short compact heavily muscled horse that was faster in the ? mile than any other.
Type.
The Quarter Horse Breed is considered to be one of the so-called stock-type horses. They are close coupled, balanced, muscular and built close to the ground. Substantial hindquarter and forearm muscles are required to produce the speed, power and athleticism necessary to the breed.
They are used for roping, cattle, pleasure, trail riding and any event requiring speed and athletic ability. Other breeds of this type include Paints and Appaloosas
Colors.
The AQHA recognizes the following colors: Bay, Sorrel, Red Dun, Palomino, Black, Chestnut, Grullo, Gray, Brown, Dun, Buckskin, Red Roam, Blue Roan (13 total).
