American Quarter Horse
History of the breed
The American Quarter Horse or Quarter Horse was the first breed bred in the United States by crossing horses brought here by conquerors from the Old World. The history of this breed of horse began at the beginning of the XNUMXth century, when the English colonists crossed their imported stallions Hobby and Galloway from Ireland and Scotland with local Indian mares.
Indian horses were descendants of Spanish feral breeds. The result is a compact, massive, muscular horse. It was used in the then popular racing horse matches and became known as the “quarter mile racing horse”, since the distance did not exceed about 400 meters. Quater in English means quarter, horse means horse.
The main development of the breed took place in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, eastern Colorado and Kansas. The purpose of the selection was to form a hardy breed, and at the same time speedy. The stallion Janus, brought from Great Britain, was used as the main breeder. He is considered the ancestor of the Quarter Horse.
The conquerors of the Wild West brought quarter-mile horses with them. After the increase in the number of cattle in the 1860s, the quarter horse became very popular among cowboys. The horse has become a good helper in working with the herds.
Over time, these horses have developed an incredible “cow sense” that allows them to anticipate the movements of bulls, make stops and puzzling turns at full gallop. The Quarter Horses had an unusual ability – they picked up breakneck speed for a quarter of a mile and stopped in their tracks when the cowboy touched the lasso.
The quarterhorse has become an integral part of the West and the ranch. Officially, the breed was approved in 1940, at the same time the American Quarter Horse Society was founded.
Features of the exterior of the breed
The growth of the quarterhorse at the withers ranges from 142 to 152 cm. This is a strong stocky horse. Her head is short and wide, with a short muzzle, small ears, large nostrils, and wide-set eyes. The neck is full with a small mane. The withers are of medium height, clearly defined, the shoulders are deep and sloping, the back is short, full and powerful. The horse’s chest is deep. The front legs of the Quarter Horse are powerful and set wide apart, while the hind legs are muscular. The pasterns are of medium length, the joints are wide and long, the hooves are round.
The suit is mostly red, bay, gray.
Application and records
The quarter mile horse is agile and agile. It has an obedient character and a stubborn disposition. She is very resilient and hardworking. The horse is balanced, firmly on its feet, flexible and fast.
Today, quarter horses are very popular in Wild West-style competitions, such as barrel racing (passing the route between three barrels at the highest possible speed), rodeo.
This breed is also used mainly in equestrian sports and for work on the ranch.
