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As the most popular breed in the U.S. by far, and possibly in all of North America, most of the time when someone thinks of a horse, they think of the Quarter Horse. The breed originated in Virginia and the Carolinas when Spanish-bred mares were bred with English stallions. The results of these crosses had excellent sprinting abilities, and owners began racing them in quarter-mile races. Thus the name of "Quarter Horse" was born. However, Thoroughbred racing soon overcame Quarter Horse racing in popularity. The Quarter Horse's agility, hardiness, and ability to cover a great deal of ground in short bursts of speed made it ideal for the work needed on cattle ranches. It was probably inevitable then that the breed migrated West and was bred in large numbers as its fame grew as a top-notch cattle horse. The Quarter Horse frequently has an instinct for anticipating cattle's movements, known as "cow sense," which has proved invaluable when ranchers need to round up and brand cattle. |
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The stallion shown on this page is a Foundation Quarter Horse named Yos Best Chance, sired by Yo Chance and out of the mare Miss Edred Rose. There are two separate breeding lines of Quarter Horses. One line is directly descended from horses that founded the Quarter Horse breed, with little or no infusion of blood from outside breeds. These are called Foundation Quarter Horses, like Yo Chance. The other line has in recent years had infusions of Thoroughbred blood. These Quarter Horses are called Appendix Quarter Horses, and tend to be more refined, streamlined, and similar to Thoroughbreds in appearance. The Foundation lines are like their ancestors, with heavy muscling and strong Spanish characteristics. I personally refer to the Foundation QH's as the "Body Builders of the Horse World," as their muscles bulge out as though they have been lifting weights. Yo Chance is owned by P and P Quarter Horses in Ionia, Iowa. For more information, call them at (641) 394-3120, and ask for Preston or Pat Mahan. |
| Check out the links below for more information on the Quarter Horse and for farms currently breeding Quarter Horses. Clicking on the link will open a new window: | |||||||||||
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| Links to other horse breed pages: |
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