QUARTER=20 HORSE LEGENDS
history

History of all horses in = North=20 America There have been no true wild horses = on the=20 American continent for 10,000 years. For some unknown reason they = disappeared=20 about that time with no known help from humankind. In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean and in the holds of = his ships=20 were horses; sleek, hardy little horses. The Spaniards brought the first = modern=20 horses to America; they were mostly Andalusians and = Spanish=20 Barb=E2=80=99s. Wherever these newcomers settled, the missions, with = their large herds=20 of livestock, followed.

In 1539 De Soto's explorers bring 237 horses to = north = America and conduct extensive inland = reconnaissance=20 from Florida to Missouri. Horses captured by native Americans = said to=20 result in Chickasaw Horse (>) breed. =

Horses aided the Spanish immeasurably = in subduing=20 the indigenous people and sacking whatever wealth they might have had. = The horse=20 was highly prized by the Native Americans who liberated him from the=20 Spanish.

American Quarter Horse = History Just like the people who settled the = new world,=20 the American Quarter Horse evolved from a mixture of different breeds to = become=20 the first breed native to the United States of America. =20 The Spanish horses of the conquistadors gone wild as=20 mustangs,=20 Thoroughbreds,=20 Arabians,=20 Morgans, Turks,=20 The Hobby and Galloway lines of Ireland and Scotland, Barbs,=20 Cleveland Bays, and other draft type breeds were fused together to = make a horse=20 with heavily muscled hindquarters that was stout, fast and agile and = could rope,=20 bulldog, cut and drive cattle. =20 These horses were used for the various farm chores like plowing, = pulling=20 logs, pulling light carriages, and riding. He was around 14.3 hands and = weighed=20 about 1100 pounds, had short muscular legs, huge hindquarters and a = quiet=20 disposition.

When the new English horses were bred to the native = stock, a=20 compact horse with began to develop. The horses were bred to = be able=20 to do all of these things.

Some breed historians contend that = the true=20 beginning of the Quarter Horse breed was in the Carolinas and Virginia. =20 Nelson C. Nye suggests that the Chickasaws, small blocky horses, = probably of Spanish Barb extraction and secured from Indians, were the = true=20 ancestors of the Quarter Horse. = The=20 colonists were quite interested in short races and the first = records of=20 horses racing a quarter of a mile in America show them being done at Enrico = County, Virginia in 1674. =20 They were match races (one on one between two horses) and were = run down=20 the village streets and country lanes. =20 These races became a great spectator sport and by 1690 the = interest in=20 the races and the breed had grown. =20 As the crowds and interest increased, large purses were soon = awarded to=20 the winner. At the same = time a=20 heavy amount of betting, disagreements and fights occurred as well. Some reports even state that = grand=20 plantations changed hands over the outcome of=20 events.

The Thoroughbred = influence

1730 Importation of English = Thoroughbreds to=20 America begins with stallion Bulle=20 Rock. Imported into = Virginia at the age of twenty-one by James = Patton, a=20 merchant mariner, and to was owned by Samuel Gist of Hanover County, Virginia. He was sired by=20 Darley Arabian = (>) one of the first three stallions who between them = would=20 become the progenitors of every living Thoroughbred. The General Stud = Book says he was probably a Turk or a Syrian horse, however, the = eminent=20 authority Sir Theodore Cook says he was the only authentically pure = Anazah=20 Arabian in the stud book. He stood about 15=20 hands.

In 1756, a Virginia planter named Mordecai Booth = imported from=20 England a ten-year-old chestnut = Thoroughbred named Janus (>). Sired by Old Janus, he was a = grandson of=20 the Godolophin Arabian. = Janus was a=20 compact horse, standing slightly less than 14.1 hands. He was well muscled, had one white = hind foot,=20 and a specked rump. He was = noted for his=20 especially powerful hindquarters. =20 Janus had proven a successful four-mile race horse in = England, but a leg injury retired him to = stud. Brought to America, he distinguished himself again as a = racehorse=20 in the James=20 River area = of=20 Virginia. After Janus had outlived his = usefulness=20 as a racehorse, he spent the remainder of his life at stud. Janus produced distinguished = racing=20 mares, but only when he was bred to quarter racing stock did his = brilliance as a=20 sire become evident. = Since quarter=20 racing was most popular in southern Virginia and North Carolina, Janus was brought to that area for=20 breeding. There he sired = numerous=20 distinguished racers, such as Babram (1766) and Twigg (1778). He died in late 1780 or early=20 1781.

Another famous and highly influential horse was Sir=20 Archy (<). Sir Archy was=20 bred by Colonel John Tayloe III of Mount Airy in Virginia in partnership with Captain = Archibald Randolph=20 of Ben=20 Lomond, in = Cumberland County. His dam = Castianira had been=20 imported as a two-year old by Tayloe and had little success on the turf = before=20 entering the stud. Her = ears were=20 cropped, she was going blind, and tradition says she was less than=20 handsome. However, when = bred to the=20 grand old Diomed, she produced the immortal Sir=20 Archy. The remarkable thing about Sir Archy's turf career, of = seven starts=20 and four wins, was the impression he made upon those who saw him. Johnson himself=20 said:

"I have only to say, that in my opinion Sir Archy is the = best=20 horse I ever saw."

Sir = Archy's=20 influence at stud was unprecedented in North America. =20 Year after year he continued to sire exceptional sons and = daughters and=20 when his offspring went to stud they did the same. He earned the nickname "The = Godolphin=20 Arabian of America", the Godolphin Arabian having made such a profound = impact on=20 English bloodstock that it was noted in the General Stud Book. Hervey=20 said:

"Before nor since, nothing has been known in America to = equal the=20 manner in which the Archys dominated both turf and stud for over half a = century,=20 beginning with the debut of his first crop of foals, in 1814 and = culminating=20 with the last of the sixteen seasons of premiership of his inbred = great-grandson=20 Lexington in 1878."

One of=20 the strengths often attributed to the offspring of Sir Archy, like those = of his=20 sire Diomed before him, was the ability to withstand intense = inbreeding. Sir Archy was bred to his own = daughters and to those of Diomed, and his offspring were = bred to=20 each other. The excellent = race mare=20 Old=20 Flirtilla (1820 by Sir Archy) bred Flirtilla (1828 by = Sir Archy),=20 and the line continued to Lady=20 Blessington (1861) and well = beyond.

Sir Archy died at Mowfield in June of 1833. Trevathan sums = up his=20 impact:

"He got more=20 distinguished racers than any horse in America, perhaps in the world, from all = sorts of=20 mares, with all kinds of pedigrees, and some with no pedigrees at = all. It might be said with truth = that he=20 filled a hemisphere with his get."

The Foundation and Improvement of the = Breed

The = early=20 improvement in the Quarter Horse-so called because of its great speed at = one=20 quarter of a mile-and the early development of the Thoroughbred in the=20 United=20 States were = closely=20 associated. Some sires contributed notably to both breeds. = Many=20 short-distance horses were registered in the American Stud Book as = Thoroughbreds=20 when the Stud Book was established, even though they did not trace in = all lines=20 to imported English stock.

It is difficult to give the exact = origin of the=20 present-day Quarter Horse because the blending of bloodlines produce a = suitable=20 short distance horse started in colonial areas prior to the = Revolutionary=20 War. This blending of = bloodlines=20 and the infusion of Thoroughbred blood was continued in the southwestern = range=20 territory as the cow country developed. =20 Cowboys wanted to be well mounted. =20 Ranchers tried to breed the kind of horses on which these men = could work=20 cattle and that could also be used in the age-old sport of racing. The Quarter Horse was not = raced on=20 carefully prepared tracks but was raced on any suitable open space. Organized races were the = exception=20 rather than the rule with many of the races being run as a = =E2=80=9Cmatch race=E2=80=9D after a=20 private wager between owner or riders.

In the Southwest country as in the = East, no=20 particular attention was made to keep short-distance horses as a = distinct=20 breed. Fast horses whose = offspring=20 made good cow ponies were crossed on existing stock of mares. Many times these mares carried = Spanish,=20 Arabian, Morgan or Standardbred breeding and some have been referred to = as =E2=80=9Ccold=20 blooded=E2=80=9D mares. = The naming of=20 horses after persons was a common practice, and often when the horses = were sold=20 their names were changed. = Such=20 practices have led to no end of confusion in attempting to verify = pedigrees=20 after the horses, breeders, and owners were=20 deceased.

It is logical, therefore, to conclude = that until=20 the Stud Book was established and the pedigrees were based on fact = rather than=20 on memory and assumptions, the Quarter Horse should have been called a = type of=20 horse rather than a breed.

The Contribution of Steel = Dust

As the people moved west they brought = their=20 horses with them. Many horses drove the cattle on this long trek. The = people=20 noticed how well the horses could work with the cows and the Quarter = Horse made=20 another name for itself as the perfect cow pony.=20

The first horse of Quarter type that attracted a great deal of = attention=20 in the Southwest was Steel Dust=20 (>). He was = a blood bay=20 that stood 15 hands high and weighed approximately 1,200 = pounds. The origins of Steel Dust span = the=20 South. He was foaled in=20 Kentucky, in 1843. His sire was Harry Bluff, a = son of Short=20 Whip and a Thoroughbred mare named Big Nance, of Timoleon stock. = Tomoleon was by=20 Sir Archy.

Steel = Dust was=20 brought into Texas by Middleton Perry and Jones Greene = in=20 1844. They settled down = near the=20 present site of Lancaster in what is now Dallas County. He soon had a reputation for speed = and it is=20 clear that the reputation of Steel Dust was such that a lot of Texans = referred=20 to his progeny as =E2=80=9CSteel Dust = Horses=E2=80=9D and wanted and=20 obtained colts that he had sired. =20

The popularity of Steel Dust as a = running horse=20 and as a sire of running horses and cow horses caused many horses that = descended=20 from him, or were of similar type, to be called =E2=80=9CSteel = Dust=E2=80=9D horses. This=20 name was quite common until the American Quarter Horse Association was=20 established and the name Quarter Horse was officially=20 adopted.

Some Other Early Sires

Other = outstanding=20 stallions were introduced into Texas before and after Steel Dust. Among these were Cooper Bottom by Sir Archy, = foaled in=20 Pennsylvania in 1828. In 1839 he was taken = by General=20 Sam Houston to Texas, where his descendants were = considered very=20 fast and made excellent cow horses. In 1849, Old Shiloh, foaled in Tennessee in 1844, was brought to Texas. He was four generations = removed in the=20 male line of Sir Archy. Lock's Rondo, three = generations=20 removed in the male line from Shiloh, was foaled in Missouri about 1866, and was taken to = Texas about 1868. Later he was also = used as a=20 sire in New = Mexico.

In 1889, Traveler=20 (<), a horse of unknown pedigree, was shipped to = Texas in a carload of horses and legend = has it that=20 he had originated in Kentucky. =20 Traveler was apparently not considered a valuable horse because = he was=20 used on a scraper and at one time changed hands in a crap game. Traveler and his descendants = were mated=20 to some excellent mares, and many Quarter Horses today trace to him in = male line=20 of descent.

The Most Influential Sire: = Peter = McCue

The most famous of all sires in the=20 establishment of the Quarter Horse breed was Peter = McCue, (>) foaled in 1895, and bred by Samuel Watkins of=20 Petersburg, Illinois. =20 Peter McCue was registered as a Thoroughbred but evidence was = later=20 presented that he was not sired by the horse indicated in his official = pedigree=20 but was instead sired by Dan Tucker, who in turn traced his male line = through=20 Steel Dust to Shiloh. = Peter McCue=20 stood for service in Texas, western Oklahoma, and in Colorado, and most modern Quarter Horses = trace to=20 him. Of the 11,510 = Quarter Horses=20 that have been registered prior to January 1, 1948, 2,304 of them traced in male line = to Peter=20 McCue through his sons, grandsons and great-grandsons. =

Traveler was the only horse that approached him in = importance of male=20 lines with 749 similar descendants that has been registered up to that=20 date. Of the first = nineteen horses=20 registered by the AQHA (all stallions), twelve of them were descended = from Peter=20 McCue.

The Use of Thoroughbred Sires and=20 Mares

The outstanding sires in the Quarter Horse type have not = always been=20 horses that traced in male lines of descent to recognized Quarter = Horses; some=20 trace to registered Thoroughbreds. In addition, many of the mares = to which=20 Quarter Horses have been mated have been Thoroughbred mares or mares of = other=20 breeds, so it can truly be said that the breed has been and still is in = a=20 formative period. Breeders have not objected to Thoroughbred = breeding=20 provided the horses were of the correct = type.

Eighteen of the first nineteen registration numbers = assigned to=20 horses in vol. I of the American Quarter Horse Stud Book were saved for = living=20 horses that had proved themselves as outstanding sires of offspring of = Quarter=20 Horse type. Examination of the pedigrees of these horses indicates = that=20 many of them carried in excess of 50 per cent of Thoroughbred breeding, = and only=20 a very few of them did not carry some known Thoroughbred breeding rather = close=20 up in their pedigrees. Read "Do you know their = names?" (The=20 Quarter Horse Journal, may 2000).

Noted Early Breeders

George Clegg was born in Cuero, Texas in 1872 and moved to Alice, Texas in 1902. =20 Clegg had mares with Rondo blood and bought a stallion = called=20 Little Rondo from Crawford Sykes. Friends of Clegg the Shelys = were=20 breeding a stallion called Traveler who produced Little Joe (<). Little Joe was purchased by George Clegg.

Sam = Watkins of=20 Illinois bred = Hickory=20 Bill by Peter McCue, who was also bought by George = Clegg, who was=20 bred to Cleggs Rondo and Traveler line mares resulting in the stallion = the=20 Old Sorrel (>), who became foundation sire of the King Ranch. =

Coke T. =20 Roberds bought 9 Steel Dust mares in Oklahoma from his home area. He moved to Colorado in 1908 and bought a Palomino called = Old Fred=20 (<) who he saw dragging a freight wagon. Old Fred was thought to have = been sired=20 around 1893 and although his pedigree is unknown he is thought to have = been a=20 Shiloh - Steel Dust = cross. Si Dawson was a neighbor of = Roberds who=20 bought Peter McCue. When=20 Dawson died = Peter=20 McCue was given to Roberds and crossed on his = Steel Dust and=20 Old Fred mares.

From Peter McCue and/or Old Fred = crosses=20 (though not all bred by Dawson or Roberds) came such great horses as=20 Harmon Baker, = Hickory=20 Bill, Sheik, = Old=20 Nick, John=20 Wilkens, Buck=20 Thomas, Jack=20 McCue, =20 Plaudit=20 (<) and Skipper=20 W (>). (Pioneer Breeder, Warren = Shoemaker, by=20 Robert Denhardt, Western Horseman, July = 1988).

Billy Anson of Christobel, Texas, sold Concho=20 Colonel to Dan Casement in 1911. =20 Concho Colonel, traced back to Steel Dust, was shipped to=20 Unaweep, Colorado to Casements Triangle Bar = Ranch. Here he was crossed on Dan and = Jack=20 Casement's mares by Ed Springer's Little Joe, who was a descendant of = Peter=20 McCue. This breeding = program=20 produced Quarter Horses such as

Red=20 Dog, Frosty,=20 Billy Byrne, Deuce=20 and Buckshot. =20

On the King Ranch around 1914, Bob Kleberg = started=20 probably the most famous breeding program in Quarter Horse history. He started with a band of = mainly=20 Thoroughbred mares bought by Caesar Kleberg. Here he acquired the = Old Sorrel in 1918=20 and bred him to these mares to produce the likes of = Wimpy (>) (Champion of the Fort Worth Show, 1940), = Macanudo, Peppy (>),=20 Babe Grande and=20 Charro. = King began by=20 mating the native mares that roamed South Texas to imported Thoroughbreds to refine = the native=20 stock and to increase its height for navigating through the brush that = covers=20 the land. When King died, = Robert=20 M. Kleberg, Sr., Robert = J. Kleberg, Jr., and Caesar = Kleberg=20 succeeded to the King Ranch=E2=80=99s horse breeding program.=20

They soon discovered that the infusion of too much = Thoroughbred=20 blood "produced horses that were too nervous to work cattle = successfully, too=20 delicate and thin-skinned to live off the country, too leggy, and too = prone to=20 sprains and strains to negotiate the sudden stops, starts, and turns = that are=20 necessary" in working on a cattle ranch. =20 What was needed, they decided, was a horse with more traditional = "quarter=20 horse" characteristics.

They=20 found it in the Old=20 Sorrel, who the ranch purchased in 1916 = from quarter=20 horse breeder George Clegg, and the Old Sorrell proved to be the finest = cow=20 horse the ranch owned. The ranch began breeding the Old Sorrel to its = best=20 working mares, all with at least a quarter Thoroughbred blood and many = with=20 half. From the Old Sorrel's second foal crop came Solis who=20 proved to be a fine all-around ranch horse. Solis, in turn, was bred to=20 Panda, a=20 daughter of the Old Sorrel--half-brother mated to half-sister, the line = breeding=20 technique that had proven so successful with the King Ranch's cattle. = The=20 resulting colt, foaled sometime in the mid-1930s, was named Wimpy.

John Jackson=20 Hancock was raised near Spanish Fort, Texas and eventually moved to Perryton, Texas, where he ran a band of 35 to 40 = broodmares=20 with a roan stallion called Old Deck, a son of little Danger (thought to = be by=20 Cold=20 Deck). =20 These mares were of Steel Dust type breeding. Out of one of these mares = (thought to be=20 half Percheron) was bred Joe Hancock=20 (<). Foaled in 1923, Joe Hancock = was by=20 John Wilkens (by Peter McCue). =20 Bought by Tom Burnett of the 6666s after his horse lost a race to = Joe=20 Hancock, he was taken to Burnett's Triangle Ranch.=20 Some of the horses produced from Joe Hancocks sire line = are: = Red Man and=20 Texas Tom by Joe=20 Tom, War=20 Chief and Little=20 Joe the Wrangler.

Hank = Wiescamp=20 (Alamosa, Texas) started breeding Thoroughbred type = horses=20 back in 1926. His early = sires were=20 Booger and Maple Prince (TB). = These=20 were mainly bred to produce = remounts for the Army.

The=20 famous stallion King (<) was bred on = the ranch=20 of Manual Benevides Volpe, Laredo, Texas and was by = Zantanon (>), who was known as the Mexican 'Man O = War'. Zantanon was by Little Joe who = was by=20 Traveler. In 1937 Win = Dubose sold=20 King to Jess Hankin for $800. =20

Bert Wood of Arizona found = Joe Reed II = (<) (born=20 1935) on a visit to Texas in 1941. Joe Reed II was by Joe Reed (>) from Nellene, a half sister = to Red Joe=20 of Arizona. He was = unbroken and=20 unraced. He had just = sired a colt=20 named Leo (>) by = Little Fanny (a=20 Joe Reed Daughter). = Although=20 injured Wood raced against some of the Nations fastest short distance = horses,=20 and he beat the likes of Clabber and Shu Fly.

Joe Reed was bred by = the Woods and=20 produced some outstanding horses including Firebrand=20 Reed, Little=20 Sister W, Gusdusted,=20 Joak and=20 Bulls Eye. =20

In 1941=20 Hank Wiescamp purchased 92 horses from the estate of N.T. Baca. These horses were bred from = A.D. Reed=20 (<) (son of Peter McCue). = Most=20 of these horses he sold, but kept 10 to 15 mares which he bred to=20 Booger, Lucky=20 (son of Booger) and Clark=20 Gable (son of Captain = Alcock [TB]).=20 About=20 1941 he acquired Barney=20 Owens, a Quarter Horse type = bred by=20 W.J. Francis of = Floyd, New Mexico in 1929. =20 Barney Owens was a son of Jack McCue (by Peter McCue) out of Maud = (by=20 Shorty). =20 Barney Owens was a dark chestnut who stood about 14.2 = HH. He was bred to the Baca mares = then to=20 Old Fred mares. He is = mainly known=20 for producing good broodmares.

History of the AQHA

Although some written breeding = records had been=20 kept, there was no formal registry for the American Quarter Horse in the = early=20 twentieth century. = William Anson, a=20 Texas rancher began = researching the breed=20 in the late 1800=E2=80=99s. = He is credited=20 with tracing the origin of the American Quarter Horse to colonial times = and=20 preserved the history and pedigrees of the breed. More research on the American = quarter=20 horse and its claim to being a distinct breed was done by Robert = Denhardt=20 (>). After accepting a = teaching=20 position at Texas A&M University, Denhardt began to research Steel = Dust=20 horses. Both Anson and = Denhardt=20 provided research that formed the basis for a registry. =

In March 1939, at the Southwestern = Exposition and=20 Fat Stock Show, Denhardt met with several breeders and presented his = idea for a=20 breed association. During = the next=20 year Denhardt wrote more articles on the American quarter horse and = visited with=20 people involved with the breed. =20

On March 14, 1940, a group of interested livestock = industry=20 leaders gathered in Fort Worth for another meeting that led to the = formation=20 of the American Quarter Horse Association. =20 Hosting the meeting in their home were Mr. and Mrs. James Goodwin Hall. Mrs. Anne Hall (<) was the = daughter of=20 Thomas L. Burnett and the = granddaughter of Samuel Burk Burnett, who founded the Four=20 Sixes ranch. = Some of=20 those on hand for the meeting were Robert J. Kleberg, George A. Clegg, Dan and Jack Casement, = W. B. =20 Warren, Walter Hudgins, J. =20 H. Minnick, and=20 Denhardt. =20

The next evening, March 15, 1940, seventy-five people gathered for a = third=20 meeting, where a charter for the organization was presented by Denhardt, = stock=20 was sold, directors were elected, and bylaws were adopted. Included in the by laws was = the mission=20 statement:

"The purpose of this Association = shall be to=20 collect, record and preserve the pedigrees of Quarter Horses in America, = to=20 publish a stud book and registry, and to stimulate any and all other = matters=20 such as may pertain to the history, breeding, exhibiting, publicity, = sale, or=20 improvements of this breed in America."

The = first elected=20 AQHA officers were: W. = B. Warren, president; Jack = Hutchins, first=20 vice president; Lee Underwood, second vice president; Jim Hall, = treasurer; and=20 Bob Denhardt, secretary. = Denhardt=20 worked out of his home and so did subsequent executive secretaries until = association offices were set up in Fort Worth in 1946 and permanently moved to = Amarillo later that year. The bylaws also called for = registration=20 requirements based on conformation, pedigree, and performance in both = show=20 arenas and races. Before = the=20 meeting adjourned, the 75 attendees had drafted the following = "Confirmation of=20 the Ideal Quarter Horse"per 1946:

Head:=20 The head of the Quarter Horse = reflects alert=20 intelligence. This is due = to his=20 short, broad head, topped by little fox ears and by his wide-set kind = eyes and=20 large, sensitive nostrils over a shallow, firm mouth. Well developed jaws give the = impression=20 of great strength.

Neck: The head of a Quarter = Horse joins=20 the neck at a near forty-five degree angle, with a distinct space = between=20 jaw-bone and neck muscle. = The=20 medium length, slightly arched, full neck then bends into sloping = shoulders.=20

Shoulders: The Quarter Horse's = unusually good=20 saddle back is created by his medium-high but sharp withers extending = well back=20 and combining with his deep sloping shoulders so that the saddle is held = in=20 proper position for balanced action. =

Chest And=20 Forelegs: = The Quarter=20 Horse is deep and broad chested, as indicated by his great heart girth = and his=20 wide-set forelegs which blend into his shoulders. The smooth joints and very = short cannons=20 are set on clean fetlocks and the medium length pasterns are supported = by sound=20 feet. The powerfully = muscled=20 forearm tapers to the knee whether viewed from front or=20 side.

Back: The short saddle back = of the=20 Quarter Horse is characterized by being close coupled and especially = full and=20 powerful across the kidney. = The=20 barrel is formed by deep, well sprung ribs back to the hip joints, and = the under=20 line comes back straight to the flank. =

Rear=20 Quarters: = The rear=20 quarters are broad, deep, and heavy, viewed from either side or rear, = and are=20 muscled so they are full through the thigh, stifle, gaskin, and down to = the=20 hock. The hind leg is = muscled=20 inside and out, the whole indicating the great driving power the Quarter = Horse=20 possesses. When viewed = from the=20 rear, there is great width extending evenly from top of thigh to bottom = of the=20 stifle and gaskin. The = hocks are=20 wide, deep, straight, and clean.

Bone, = Legs, And=20 Feet: The = flat, clean,=20 flinty bones are free from fleshiness and puffs, but still show a world = of=20 substance. The foot is = well rounded=20 and roomy, with an especially deep, open=20 heel.

Stance: The Quarter Horse = normally stands=20 perfectly at ease with his legs well under him; this explains his = ability to=20 move quickly in any direction.

Action: The Quarter Horse = is very=20 collected in his actions, and turns or stops with noticeable ease and = balance,=20 with his hocks always well under him. =

The = first AQHA=20 approved show was held in July 1940 during the Texas Cowboy Reunion at=20 Stamford. Another milestone was set = during the=20 1941 South-western Exposition and Fat Stock Show in Fort Worth, when the King Ranch-bred Wimpy, by = virtue of=20 being named the grand champion stallion, was designated as P1 in the = AQHA Stud=20 Book.

Breed Characteristics

AQHA has set forth a strict set of = guidelines=20 regarding registration of American Quarter Horses. The most prominent = Quarter=20 Horse colors is sorrel (reddish brown), with the = others=20 being bay, black, brown, buckskin, chestnut, dun, red dun, gray, grullo, = palomino, red roan and blue roan. =20 The official gray color is what most people call white, but = it's=20 interesting to note that there are no "white" American Quarter Horses. = In 2003=20 AQHA allows horses commonly known as Cremellos and Perlinos to be = eligible for=20 registration, provided they meet all other rules of=20 registration.

There were many debates on letting = the=20 thoroughbred type horses into the registry. In the early days, the AQHA = would=20 only register horses after inspection for conformation and since most = judges=20 were looking for the bulldog type horse the others got excluded. Two = other=20 registries were even formed to allow them a place to register. This got = very=20 cumbersome and so eventually AQHA merged and allowed the horses that = were=20 registered in either of these registries a place in=20 theirs.

A registered American Quarter Horse = foal is the=20 product of a numbered American Quarter Horse dam and a numbered American = Quarter=20 Horse sire. AQHA also = offers an=20 appendix registry for foals with one numbered American Quarter Horse = parent and=20 one Thoroughbred parent registered with The Jockey=20 Club.

Other identifiable characteristics of = the breed=20 are heavy muscling, sprinter's speed, versatility, keen cow sense and a = gentle=20 nature.

sources:

American Quarter Horse Association
Robert M. Denhardt ,A = Story of Two=20 Centuries: Quarter Horses, 1967
Lewis and Clark Journal flora and = fauna=20 winter 1805-06
Robert Denhardt, Pioneer Breeder, Warren Shoemaker, = Western=20 Horseman, July 1988
Diane Ciarloni Simmons, Joe Hancock, Western = Horseman,=20 November 1990
Lisa Dines, The American Mustang Guidebook,=20 2002
Oklahoma State University Department of Animal Science who = kindly=20 supplied the following sources:
Nelson, C. Nye, Outstanding = Modern=20 Quarter Horse Sires, 1948
Dan Casement, Steel Dusts as I Have Known = Them, The=20 Hereford Journal, June 1, 1927.
Helen Michaelis, History of the = Quarter=20 Horse, The AQHA Stud Book and Registry, 1 (2), 1943
A.O. Rhoad and = Robert J.=20 Kleberg, Jr., Development of Superior Families in the Modern Quarter = Horse, The=20 Journal of Heredity, 37 (8), 237-258, = 1946

Compiled and = Researched by Christy=20 E.

from:

Department of Animal=20 Science

Oklahoma State = University

http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/

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QUARTER=20 HORSE LEGENDS history