American Quarter Horse
History and Origin of the Breed:
The American Quarter Horse is the first breed of horse native to the United States. The breed evolved when the bloodlines of horses brought to the New World were mixed. Foundation Quarter Horse stock originated from Arab, Turk and Barb breeds. Selected stallions and mares were crossed with horses brought to Colonial America from England and Ireland in the early 1600's. This combination resulted in a compact, heavily muscled horse that evolved to fill the colonist's love for short distance racing.
This powerful horses could run a short distance over a straightaway faster than any other horse, with the fastest being named Celebrated American Running Horse. There were many variations of names throughout the years but in 1940, a registry was formed to preserve the breed which officially became the American Quarter Horse. The first American Quarter Horse races were held at Enrico County, Virginia in 1674. One on One matches were run down village streets, country lanes and level pastures. By 1690, large purses, heavy betting, disagreements and fights were a common occurrence around match races.
As pioneers moved westward, so did the American Quarter Horse. During the 1800's, vast cattle ranches began to stretch out across the plains. The Quarter Horse, known for its cow sense (the ability to outmaneuver cattle) and calm disposition, was ideally suited for this challenge.
Today, heavy muscling and sprinter's speed remain characteristic traits with the specialization of the breed to excel at particular events. Competing in every discipline imaginable from traditional rodeo events such as roping and barrel racing to the refined English classes of dressage and show jumping has made the American Quarter Horse one of the most versatile breeds in the world. Although competition options are nearly unlimited, the number one interest of American Quarter Horse owners remains riding for recreation.
Breed Characteristics:
Since the creation of the American Quarter Horse Association more than 50 years ago, breeders have been perfecting the bloodlines of the American Quarter Horse to produce a high quality, versatile horse. AQHA has set forth a strict set of guidelines regarding registration of an American Quarter Horse. American Quarter Horses are allowed only limited white markings on the face and below the knees. If you see white anywhere else in spots or patches, you would not be looking at an American Quarter Horse. In addition, there are 13 accepted colors recognized by the AQHA. The most prominent color is sorrel (reddish brown), with the other colors being bay, black, brown, buckskin, chestnut, dun, red dun, gray, grullo, palomino, red roan and blue roan. the official gray color is what most people would call white, but there are no "white" American Quarter Horses per say.
Beyond their appearance, a registered American Quarter Horse foal (baby) is the product of a registered/numbered American Quarter Horse dam (mother) and a registered American Quarter Horse sire (stallion). The AQHA also offers an appendix registry for foals with one registered American Quarter Horse parent and one Thoroughbred parent registered with The Jockey Club.
Other identifiable characteristics of the breed are heavy muscling, sprinter's speed, versatility, keen cow sense and a gentle nature. For the past where the Quarter Horse origins can be found in ranching and racing, to the present where Quarter Horses excel in a variety of events, the American Quarter Horse gives an individual many outlets for enjoyment, thus making it the world's most popular breed.
Some Outstanding American Quarter Horses
KING:
Once proclaimed as the greatest horse of his time, King has become one of the American Quarter Horses industry's cornerstones. While he never won any performance points, King established a dynasty. He sired 20 AQHA Champions, 84 Performance Registers of Merit, 12 Racing Registers of Merit, 3 Superior Halter Award Winners and 10 Superior Performance Award winners. At the time that King was born, there wasn't an American Quarter Horse Association. However, his conformation would later set the standard for the American Quarter Horse judging for more than a decade after. King died of a heart attack in 1958 but even now, the American Quarter Horse industry is influenced by third, fourth and fifth generation King-bred horses.
LEO:
The early years of the American Quarter Horse industry, Leo was known primarily as a sizzling speed horse. Later, he gained a hefty reputation of being a leading sire. Both his sons and daughters excelled on the track and in the show ring. The many titles won by Leo's offspring proved he not only sired speed, but also athletic ability as well, including 24 AQHA Champions, 33 Performance Registers of Merit, 211 Race Registers of Merit, 4 Superior Halter Awards, 2 Superior Performance Awards, 8 Superior Race Awards, 1 Supreme Champion and 4 Racing World Champions. These traits were passed down from generation to generation and many of Leo's sons and daughters became leading producers of quality foals as well. Although no one knows for sure, Leo reportedly won 20 to 22 races in his career but he will most be remembered for his outstanding offspring which have strengthened the American Quarter Horse industry.
DOC BAR:
Although not bred to be a cow horse, Doc Bar is best remembered as the horse which revolutionized the cutting horse industry. By Lightening Bar and out of Dandy Doll, Doc Bar was bred for speed, but only won $95 in four starts. Doc Bar wasn't a performance horse either but turned out to be a good halter horse and an excellent sire whose foals totally redefined the sport of cutting. Not only did his and daughters find success in the cutting arena, but they also found success in other performance events including working cow horse, reining and western pleasure. According to the AQHA , Doc Bar sired 485 foals which earned over 7,000 halter and performance points and 27 AQHA Champions. Doc Bar is credited with bring a totally different look to cutting horses and for putting the sweeping motion into the cutting horses of today.
GO MAN GO:
From the word GO, he was a champion. Go Man Go would dominate the American Quarter Horse racing scene like no other in history. Appropriately named, Go Man Go, was foaled in 1953, and although neither his mother or his father raced, he quickly proved he had the ability of a champion. In his career, Go Man Go earned many honors. The was 3 times named World Champion Racing American Quarter Horse, including becoming the first 2 year old to ever claim that honor. He earned multiple divisional titles, set 3 track records and a world record, equaled a world record and become one of the greatest sires in American Quarter Horse racing.
Breed Organization
To ensure the unique qualities of the American Quarter Horse did not perish, a group of American Quarter Horse enthusiasts met in 1940 in Ft Worth, Texas, to establish what was to become the largest equine breed registry in the world. The American Quarter Horse Association, located in Amarillo, Texas has 3.7 million AQHA horses registered and serves more than 300,000 worldwide members.
AQHA functions as the official record keeping and governing body of the American Quarter Horse industry. AQHA records all American Quarter Horse ownership, processes approved shows and race results, catalogs performance and produces data on all American Quarter Horses, maintains Association funds and promotes the American Quarter Horse industry. In addition, AQHA maintains current statistics on ownership in each state and country as well as American Quarter Horse population figures.
With well over 110,000 new registrations in 2000, AQHA's role in preserving the integrity of the breed is expanding on a daily basis. Whether American Quarter Horses are still being used in tradition ranching operations, for showing, racing or pleasure, AQHA strives to provide services beneficial to all Association Members and ultimately the American Quarter Horse itself.
Additional Information:
AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION
PO Box 200, Amarillo, Texas 79168-0001
Tel: (806) 376-4811 Fax: (806) 376-8304
Or website: www.aqha.com
Information resources:
The International Museum of the Horse, 1998
The American Quarter Horse Association
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