The Quarter Horse is the first breed established in the United States after the reintroduction of horses by the conquistadors.
With the arrival of the British colonists and their passion for racing, this horse was quickly used to run the Quarter-Mile, from which its name will be inspired.
This breed is the one with the most subjects with more than 4 million Quarter-Horse horses.
History and origins of the Quarter Horse
The Quarter-Horse is one of the oldest American horse breeds.
Indeed, it appeared during the discovery of America by the colonists. This horse comes from a cattle pony, from a cross between British and Iberian breeds, which will itself be crossed with thoroughbreds.
Thus will be obtained the Quarter-Mile breed adored for its ability to run short distances (hence the name Quarter-Mile (a quarter mile)).
Later, other crosses will be carried out, such as with wild mustangs or Indian ponies, and will aim to strengthen its working capabilities with cattle and its robustness.
Since 1941, the Quarter Horse breed has been recognized and the American Quarter Horse Association is created to preserve the qualities of this horse.
Morphological characteristics of the Quarter Horse
- Waist
The Quarter-Horse is medium in size. It is between 1m50 and 1m60 at the withers.
- Weight
Its weight varies between 420kg and 550kg.
- Dress
The Quarter-Horse can have all plain dresses (alezan, black, bai, gray, Isabelle, roan,..). The magpie dress does not exist in this breed.
- Morphology
- Forehand: The Quarter-Horse has wide, well-sloping shoulders and a wide, deep, and powerful chest. It has a long neckline, thin, and quite low.
- Body: This is a compact horse with a small size. Its back is short and straight, and its musculature is prominent.
- Hindquarters: His hindquarters are very bulky and vigorous. Its posteriors are short but very muscular.
- Plumb: The limbs are short and thin but strong and muscular. The feet of the Quarter-Horse, are sensitive, however.
- Physical description and peculiarities of the breed
The Quarter-Horse is known for being compact, powerful, and very muscular. Its developed hindquarters are very characteristic of this breed.
Quarter Horse Skills
- Behavior / Character
The Quarter-Horse is a calm, docile, easily adaptable but energetic horse.
- Sports to which he is predisposed
It has long been used for racing but is now more used in western riding (reining, trail, barrel racing, cutting), for work with cattle, or for hiking.
He is also present in the competitions of Halter, a discipline very widespread in the United States and which consists of a presentation in the hand of the horse.
Quarter Horse Health
- Life expectancy
The Quarter-Horse has a life expectancy of between 20 and 30 years.
- Feeding
The diet is to be adapted according to its activity. A touring, horse will not have the same needs as a horse participating in western competitions.
General Health
This horse is hardy and lives very well outdoors. However, it faces some genetic diseases such as paralyzing periodic hyperkalemia.
It is a hereditary muscular pathology, due to a genetic mutation, which prevents the regulation of intracellular potassium and causes involuntary contraction. The repetition of its contractions causes muscle hypertrophy.
Quarter-horses are also prone to polysaccharide overload myopathy (disease due to glycogen storage abnormalities that cause muscle problems) or hereditary equine regional cutaneous asthenia (abnormal fragility of the skin).
These horses have relatively sensitive feet and are prone to navicular bone problems (bone located in the center of the hoof and can cause heavy lameness).
Thus, the use of the Quarter-Horse for hiking is delicate on certain terrains and requires suitable hardware.
"Close" breeds
There are links with several other breeds in view of the crosses made to obtain the Quarter-Horse. This breed is therefore closely related to English thoroughbreds as well as Spanish horses.
A cross of the Quarter-Horse with a pure Spanish breed gave rise to a new breed the "Aztec".
There is also a "pony version" of the Quarter-Horse. This is the Quarter-Pony: they have the same characteristics but do not reach the minimum size of the Quarter-Horse set at 1m50.
Morphology of the Quarter Horse
The Quarter Horse has a proud head port. The forehead of its rather small and conical head is very wide. The ganaches are pronounced and his eyes are large, well-spread, and very lively. Its chamfer is concave and the ears are small. Its long and flexible neckline is both thin and attached quite high. The body of this horse is compact, it is back short and its chest quite wide. Very muscular, her hindquarters are quite massive but very powerful, and her musculature is prominent. His legs are strong with very muscular thighs and his feet are considered small compared to his beautiful size.
Uses of the Quarter Horse
This horse is excellent in western riding integrating cutting, reining, trail, or western pleasure. Recall that western riding was developed in the American West in the nineteenth century to be a working riding of cowboys on ranches to guide cattle. Currently, it is competitive and recreational riding. The Quarter Horse is also used today for hiking and various walks. In the USA, it is also used in classical riding and jumping or speed racing as the "All American Futurity" with several million dollars generating very large sums of money because of multiple bets.
The Quarter Horse in French
In our country, the Quarter Horse was only known in 1984. It is an association, the AFQH or the French Association of the Quarter Horse, founded in 1981 and recognized in 1984 which makes this breed known in the country. In 1985, 15 Quarter Horses valued at $225,000 were exported to the French. This horse is then bred on our territory. In 2007, there were 5,000, and 8,400 in 2014. We are now the fifth country in the world to have so many Quarter Horses on our soil.
Whether you want to acquire a Quarter Horse to make it a walking companion or a racehorse, know that it will cost you from 3,000 to 15,000 € to acquire this horse. In any case and whatever its destination, the Quarter Horse is a kind, rustic, intelligent, and very reliable horse.
Health: how to take care of a quarter horse?
The Quarter horse is a rustic horse that can live very well outdoors and does not necessarily need to be housed in a box.
It requires little maintenance. A simple untangling of its mane and tail as well as a regular bandage will be enough to maintain it.
The hooves must be trimmed or shod like all other horses. The ointment should be applied to his hooves to protect and soften them.
The visit, once or twice a year, of an equine dentist and an osteopath is recommended.
Although the Quarter Horse is a hardy horse, it is affected by several genetic diseases such as:
- Paralyzing periodic hyperkalemia;
- Hereditary equine hereditary asthenia;
- Storage myopathy polysaccharide (PSSM);
- Deficiency of branching glycogen enzyme;
- White foal lethal syndrome.
However, these diseases are preventable if the parents are genetically tested. It is therefore necessary to turn to the good farms that practice these health tests.
Sources :
- https://equipedia.ifce.fr/elevage-et-entretien/race-et-robe/races-dequides-et-stud-book/quarter-horse
- https://respe.net/maladie-equine/anomalies-genetiques/pssm/
- http://www.ranchdesvignes.com/maladies.php
- https://www.avef.fr/index.php/commissions/genetique/317-etude-sur-une-maladie-cutanee-genetique-du-cheval-lasthenie-cutanee-regionale-equine-hereditaire
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