Quarter Horse: Breed Profile | ehorses.com (2024)

The Quarter Horse, often also called the American Quarter Horse, is the world’s most numerous breed with over five million horses and is considered the Western horse par excellence. Compact and agile, fast and versatile – the robust but remarkably noble horse breed proves itself in all disciplines of western riding, but also cuts a fine figure as a jumping, driving or leisure horse. At the same time, the Quarter Horse captivates with its charming, sociable nature, its pronounced willingness to perform and probably also enjoys worldwide popularity for this reason. From cowhorses and purebreds to the hunter type and foundation horses with a low percentage of thoroughbreds, various breeding directions are pursued according to the sporting suitability..

Breeding history of the Quarter Horse

The Quarter Horse has developed as an independent breed in North America since the 18th century and traces its origins back to several other horse breeds. Initially, it was oriental horses such as Berbers, Andalusians and Arabs that came to the continent through the Spanish conquerors in the 16th and 17th centuries. During the settlement of North America, where all native horses were already extinct, the European settlers brought with them mainly English Thoroughbreds, Percherons from France and Irish ponies.

From the various breeds, the Quarter Horse gradually emerged as the first North American horse breed, along with the increasing prevalence of horse racing. As before in England, the settlers cultivated the tradition of horse racing in their new homeland in the course of Quarter Mile Races, in which two horses competed against each other over a course of about 437 yards. With its speed, the Quarter Horse proved to be the ideal racehorse for this distance. At the same time, however, it also proved itself as a draft and work horse on the ranches, so that its popularity and thus also its breeding continued to increase. Since 1940, breeders of the Quarter Horse have been united in the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), which today represents the breeding association with the largest number of members worldwide.

Origin of the Quarter Horse

After breeding started successfully in the States, Quarter Horses were soon exported to Europe. As early as May 25, 1964, the first two horses arrived in Switzerland. They were imported by the Swiss Jean-Claude Dysli, who had acquired the Quarter Horses in California. With these two animals, the breeding in Europe began, which for a long time was characterized by the import and export of the animals, since fresh blood was always needed to keep the good qualities and appearance of the horses pure. Due to the successful breeding in Switzerland, the first Quarter Horses were “imported” to Germany in 1970. There, too, began its own breeding of the beautiful animals, which now does without imports from Switzerland or the States and is managed by the DQHA.

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Appearance of Quarter Horses

The Quarter Horse has a typical western appearance. The horses could pass for the loyal horses of the Indians or the cowboy in any western show or western movie. Yet the Quarter Horse is a rather medium sized horse with a stock size between 57 and 65 inches. The big difference in the stock size comes from the fact that the individual countries breed different lines with partly different aptitudes. However, with the exception of size, the lines are very similar in conformation. In general, the Quarter Horse is a strong riding horse, which nevertheless appears rather athletic and has a rectangular conformation. The head of the Quarter Horse is wedge-shaped and has an intelligent and friendly expression, which is primarily caused by the large and dark eyes. The ears are rather small and have a pointed shape, the nasal line is straight and the gauches are distinct. The head merges into a medium length neck, which describes an elegant arch and fits well between the sloping shoulders. The loin is strongly defined and the horses have a stable and medium long back, which can carry heavy riders – despite their rather medium size. The tail is set low, accentuating the long and sloping croup. The Quarter Horse’s rib cage is strong and the foundation should be dry with pronounced joints and rather short tube legs. For coat colors, all colors are allowed in the standard except piebald. The Quarter Horse has a very diverse color palette with various shades and also rare hues.

Characteristics of the Quarter Horse

The Quarter Horse is very well suited for beginners, the patient horses forgive even slight riding errors and do not immediately become nervous if their rider does not confidently take the lead. However, the animals sometimes react very sensitively to a hard hand and can also become shy. A friendly contact without violence is therefore very important for the horses. The Quarter Horses trust humans quickly and form a strong bond with their rider, although they also need the company of other horses.

Special characteristics of the Quarter Horse

The Quarter Horse is a very versatile sport and western horse, which is especially noticeable because of its elegant appearance and its sometimes rare coat colors. The horses can be found at many western shows and are especially often used for endurance riding, but dressage and jumping also suit the athletic yet calm horses. Their appearance corresponds to the ideal of the cowboy horse, which is why it is not surprising that some animals have been seen in film and television.

Famous horses of the breed

The Quarter Horse is a real western horse, which is ideal for western and fantasy movies. One of the most famous animals managed to take a big role in the movie “Dances with wolves”. There the Quarter Horse Plain Justin Bar plays the horse Cisco. In the world-famous movie “The Horse Whisperer” several Quarter Horses play a part, so the horse Pilgrim, Gulliver and the horse Rimrock are embodied by the Quarter Horses Hightower, Docs Keepin Time and Rambo Roman. Hightower has other well-known appearances in movies. For example, he portrays the black stallion Black Beauty, from what is probably the most popular horse movie.