The American Quarter Horse is a breed of horse originally bred for sprinting short distances, typically races of a quarter mile or less. The Quarter Horse is the most popular breed in the United States, and the American Quarter Horse Association is the largest breed registry in the world, with over 3.2 million Quarter Horses registered worldwide. [1] It has been clocked at 55 mph. [2] The Quarter Horse is well known both as a race horse and for its performance in rodeos, horse shows and as a working ranch horse. The compact body of the Quarter Horse is well-suited to the intricate and speedy maneuvers required in calf roping, reining, cutting, working cow horse, barrel racing and other western riding events, especially those involving live cattle. The versatile Quarter Horse is also shown in English disciplines, driving, and many other equestrian activities.

Breed History

Colonial Era

In the 1600s, American colonists on the eastern seaboard began to cross imported English Thoroughbred horses with "native" horses such as the Chickasaw horse (a breed developed by Native American people from horses descended from Spanish, developed from Iberian, Arabian and Barb stock brought to what is now the Southeastern United States by the Conquistadors).

One of the most famous of these early imports was Janus, a Thoroughbred who was the grandson of the Godolphin Arabian . He was foaled in 1746, and imported to colonial Virginia in 1756. The influence of Thoroughbreds like Janus contributed genes crucial to the development of the colonial "Quarter Miler," or "Quarter Mile Horse." This was a speedy working man's racer, sometimes referred to as the "Celebrated American Quarter Running Horse." The resulting horse was small, hardy, and quick, and was used as a work horse during the week and a race horse on the weekends. [3]

As flat racing became popular with the colonists, the Quarter Miler gained even more popularity as a sprinter over courses that, by necessity, were shorter than the classic racecourses of England, and were often no more than a straight stretch of road or flat piece of open land. When matched against a Thoroughbred, local sprinters often won. As the Thoroughbred breed became established in America, many colonial Quarter Mile mares were included in the original American stud books, starting a long association between the Thoroughbred breed and what would later become officially known as the "Quarter Horse," named after the distance at which it excelled.

Westward Expansion

In the 1800s, pioneers heading West needed a hardy, willing horse. On the Great Plains, settlers encountered horses that descended from the Spanish stock Hernán Cortés and other Conquistadors had introduced into the viceroyalty of New Spain, which today includes the Southwestern United States and Mexico. These horses of the west included herds of feral animals known as Mustangs, as well as horses domesticated by Native Americans, including the Comanche, Shoshoni and Nez Perce tribes. As the colonial Quarter Mile Horse was crossed with these western horses, the pioneers found that the new crossbred had innate "cow sense," a natural instinct for working with cattle, making it popular with cattlemen on ranches.

Development of the Quarter Horse as a distinct breed

Early foundation sires of Quarter horse type included Steel Dust, foaled 1843; Shiloh (or Old Shiloh), foaled 1844; Old Cold Dock (1862); Lock's Rondo, one of many "Rondo" horses, foaled in 1880; Old Billy -- again, one of many "Billy" horses -- foaled circa 1880; Traveler, shipped to Texas in 1889; and the Thoroughbred stallion Peter McCue, foaled 1895. [4] [3]

The main duty of the ranch horse in the American West was working cattle. Even after the invention of the automobile, horses were still irreplacable for handling livestock on the range. Thus, major Texas cattle ranches, such as the King Ranch, the 6666 (Four Sixes) Ranch, and the Waggoner Ranch played a significant role in the development of the modern American Quarter Horse.

The skills needed by ranch hands and their horses became the foundation of the rodeo, a contest which began with informal competition between cowboys and expanded to become a major competitive event throughout the west. To this day, the Quarter Horse dominates the sport both in speed events and in competition that emphasizes the handling of live cattle.

However, sprint races were also popular weekend entertainment and racing became a source of economic gain for breeders as well. As a result, more Thoroughbred blood was added back into the developing Quarter horse breed. The Quarter Horse also benefitted from the addition of Arabian, Morgan and even Standardbred bloodlines.

In 1940, the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) was formed by a group of horsemen and ranchers from the southwestern United States dedicated to preserving the pedigrees of their ranch horses. [5] The horse honored with the first registration number, P-1, was Wimpy, [6] a descendant of the King Ranch foundation sire Old Sorrel. Other foundation sires alive at the founding of the AQHA and given the earliest registration numbers included King, Peppy, Leo, Joe Reed, Poco Bueno, Joe Hancock, and Three Bars (a Thoroughbred). [7] Other Thoroughbred sires seen in early Quarter Horse pedigrees include King Plaudit, Blob, Top Deck, Vandy and Truckle Feature.

"Appendix" and "Foundation" horses

Since the American Quarter Horse formally established itself as a breed, the AQHA stud book has remained open to additional Thoroughbred blood via a performance standard. An "Appendix" Quarter Horse is a first generation cross between a registered Thoroughbred and a Quarter Horse. The resulting offspring is registered in the "appendix" of the American Quarter Horse Association's studbook, hence the nickname. Horses listed in the appendix may be entered in competition, but offspring are not initially eligible for full AQHA registration. If the Appendix horse meets certain conformational criteria and is shown or raced successfully in sanctioned AQHA events, the horse can earn its way from the appendix into the permanent studbook, making its offspring eligible for AQHA registration.

Since American Quarter Horse/Thoroughbred crosses continue to enter the official registry of the American Quarter Horse breed, this creates a continual gene flow from the Thoroughbred breed into the American Quarter Horse breed, which has altered many of the characteristics that typified the breed in the early years of its formation. Some breeders, favoring the earlier style of horse, have created several separate organizations to promote and register "Foundation" Quarter Horses. [8] [9] [10]

Open stud books are not uncommon: many Warmblood breeds admit horses of various bloodlines if they meet a conformational or performance standard; the Appaloosa has had an open registry to the Thoroughbred, Arabian and American Quarter Horse; the American Paint Horse has had an open registry to the American Quarter Horse, and the Criollo has had an open registry to the Chilean Horse. A newer breed, the Azteca, is a cross between the American Quarter Horse and Andalusian breeds, and still allows infusions from these sources.

Quarter Horses Today

The American Quarter Horse is best-known today as a show horse, race horse, reining and cutting horse, rodeo competitor, ranch horse, and all-around family horse. Quarter horses dominate rodeo events such as barrel racing, calf roping and team roping; and gymkhana or O-Mok-See. [11] Other stock horse events such as cutting and reining are open to all breeds but also dominated by American Quarter Horse. Large purses allow top competitors to earn over a million dollars in some of these events.

The breed is not only well-suited for western riding and cattle work. Many race tracks offer Quarter Horses a wide assortment of pari-mutuel horse racing with purses in the millions. Quarter Horses have also been trained to compete in dressage and can be good jumpers . They are also used for recreational trail riding and in mounted police units.

The American Quarter Horse has also been exported worldwide. European nations such as Germany and Italy have imported large numbers of Quarter Horses. Next to the American Quarter Horse Association (which also encompasses Quarter Horses from Canada), the second largest registry of Quarter Horses is in Brazil, followed by Australia. [12] With the internationalization of the discipline of reining and its acceptance as one of the official seven events of the World Equestrian Games, there is a growing international interest in Quarter Horses. Countries like Japan, Switzerland and Israel that did not have traditional stock horse industries have begun to compete with American Quarter Horses in their own nations and internationally.

Breed Characteristics

The modern American Quarter Horse has a small, short, refined head with a straight profile, and a strong, well-muscled body, featuring a broad chest and powerful, rounded hindquarters. They usually stand between 14 and 16 hands high, although some Halter-type horses may grow as tall as 17 hands.

There are two main body types: the stock type and the hunter or racing type. The stock horse type is shorter, more compact, stocky and well muscled, yet agile. The racing and hunter type Quarter Horses are somewhat taller and smoother muscled than the stock type, more closely resembling the Thoroughbred.

Stock Type

Reining and cutting horses are on the small side, with quick, agile movement and very powerful hindquarters. Western pleasure show horses are often slightly taller, with smooth gaits, and a somewhat more level topline - though still featuring the powerful hindquarters characteristic of the Quarter Horse.

Horses shown in-hand in Halter competition are larger yet, with a very heavily muscled appearance, while retaining small heads with wide jowls and refined muzzles.

Racing and Hunter type

Quarter Horse race horses are bred to sprint short distances ranging from 220 to 870 yards. Thus, they have long legs and are leaner than their stock type counterparts, but are still characterized by muscular hindquarters and powerful legs. Quarter horses race primarily against other Quarter horses, and their sprinting ability has earned them the nickname, "the world's fastest athlete." The show hunter type is slimmer, even more closely resembling a Thoroughbred, usually reflecting a higher percentage of appendix breeding. They are shown in hunter/jumper classes at both breed shows and in open USEF -rated horse show competition.

Colors

Quarter Horses come in nearly all colors. The most common color is sorrel, a brownish red, part of the color group called chestnut by most other breed registries. Other recognized colors include bay, black, "brown" (genetically a variation on bay), buckskin, palomino, gray, dun, red dun, grullo (also occasionally referred to as blue dun), red roan , blue roan, bay roan, perlino, and cremello. [13] In the past, spotted or pinto colors were excluded, but now with the advent of DNA testing to verify parentage, the registry accepts all colors as long as parents are registered.

Genetic Diseases

There are genetic diseases of concern to Quarter Horse breeders:

• Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP), which is caused by an autosomal dominant gene linked to the stallion Impressive. It is characterized by uncontrollable muscle twitching and substantial muscle weakness or paralysis among affected horses. Because it is a dominant gene, only one parent has to have the gene for it to be transmitted to offspring. There is a DNA test for HYPP, the AQHA requires testing and is now limiting registration of some horses who possess the gene. [14]
• Hereditary Equine Regional Dermal Asthenia (HERDA), also known as hyperelastosis cutis (HC). This is caused by an autosomal recessive gene , and thus, unlike HYPP, HERDA can only be transmitted if both parents carry the gene. When a horse has this disease, there is a collagen defect that results in the layers of skin not being held firmly together. Thus, when the horse is ridden under saddle or suffers trauma to the skin, the outer layer often splits or separates from the deeper layer, or it can tear off completely. It rarely heals without disfiguring scars. Sunburn can also be a concern. In dramatic cases, the skin can split along the back and even roll down the sides, with the horse literally being skinned alive. Most horses with HERDA are euthanized for humane reasons between the age of two and four years. The very hotly debated and controversial theory, put forth by researchers at Cornell University and Mississippi State University is that the sire line of the great foundation stallion Poco Bueno is implicated as the origin of the disease. As of May 9, 2007, Researchers working independently at Cornell University and at the University of California, Davis announced that a DNA test for HERDA has been developed. Over 1,500 horses were tested during the development phase of the test, which is now available to the general public through both institutions. [15]
• Glycogen Branching Enzyme Deficiency (GBED) is a genetic disease where the horse is lacking an enzyme necessary for storing glycogen , the horse's heart muscle and skeletal muscles cannot function, leading to rapid death. The disease occurs in foals who are homozygous for the lethal GBED allele, meaning both parents carry one copy of the gene. There is a DNA blood test for this gene.
• Lethal White Syndrome . Although "crop-out" Quarter Horses with Paint markings were not allowed to be registered for many years, the gene for such markings is a recessive and continued to periodically appear in Quarter Horse foals. Thus, it is believed that some Quarter Horses may also carry the gene for Lethal White Syndrome. There is a DNA test for this condition.

References

1. AQHA Horse Statistics - http://www.aqha.com/bin/q/z/annualreport_horsestats.pdf
2. Iowa Quarter Horse Racing Association - http://www.iqhra.com/
3. "Quarter Horses." Handbook of Texas Online, referenced May 30, 2006 - http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/QQ/tcq1.html
4. "Quarter Horse" - http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/horses/quarter/
5. American Quarter Horse Association - http://www.aqha.com
6. International Museum of the Horse: "American Quarter Horse" - http://www.kyhorsepark.com
7. Foundation Quarter Horse Pedigrees - http://www.foundationhorses.com/pedigrees.htm
8. Foundation Quarter Horse Association. Web site, accessed April 2, 2007 - http://www.fqha.com/
9. Foundation Quarter Horses. Web site accessed April 2, 2007 - http://www.foundationhorses.com/
10. National Foundation Quarter Horse Association. Web site accessed April 2, 2007 - http://www.nfqha.com/
11. National Saddle Clubs Association - http://www.omoksee.com/
12. The Canadian Quarter Horse Association - http://www.cqha.ca/
13. AQHA General Glossary, defines all recognized coat colors - http://www.aqha.com/association/registration/generalglossary.html
14. Bringing light to HYPP - http://www.bringinglighttohypp.org/
15. Sellnow, Les. "HERDA: DNA Tests Available for Disfiguring Skin Disease." The Horse Online News, accessed May 31, 2007 - http://www.thehorse.com/viewarticle.aspx?ID=9687

• Denhardt, Robert Moorman. Foundation Sires of the American Quarter Horse, University of Oklahoma Press, 1997. ISBN 0-8061-2947-6

The breed information above is provided by Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrightsfor details.)

Horse Smarts does not endorse or confirm accuracy of any information listed on this page. It was provided by Wikipedia. Horse Smarts does not endorse sites listed in the horse breed pages, the Horse Classified listings or link pages.

< Return to Horse Breeds A - C

Top of the Page