Quarter Horses

Quarter horses besides being strong and powerful are by nature calm and gentle with a willingness to please. Its steady demeanor make it an ideal family horse or horse for the beginner rider. They tend to be ‘easy keepers’ not finicky prone to ailments or allergies. They can live well off of good pasture or hay.

Although not as wide chested as the Paint, the heavy muscling and sprinter speed remain characteristic traits. This horse is one of the most versatile breeds in the world. It is known to compete in every discipline imaginable such as:
• traditional rodeo events
• roping
• barrel racing
• English classes of dressage
• show jumping

But the number one interest of these horse owners remains riding for recreation.

These horses can run a short distance over a straightaway faster than any other horse.

In 1940, a registry was formed to preserve the breed which officially became this horse breeds.

The breed evolved when the bloodlines of horses brought to the New World were mixed. Foundation AQH stock originated from Arab, Turk and Barb breeds. Selected stallions and mares were crossed with horses brought to Colonial America from England and Ireland in the early 1600s.

Breed Characteristics

The AQHA has set forth a strict set of guidelines regarding registration of these horses.

These horses are allowed only limited white markings on the face and below the knees. If you see white anywhere else in spots or patches, you're not looking at an American Quarter Horse.

There are 13 accepted colors recognized by AQHA.

The most prominent of these colors is sorrel (reddish brown), with the others being:

• bay
• black
• brown
• buckskin
• chestnut
• dun
• red dun
• gray
• grullo
• palomino
• red roan
• blue roan.

There are no "white" AQH.

Other identifiable characteristics

• heavy muscling
• sprinter's speed
• versatility
• keen cow sense
• gentle nature

The AQH gives an individual many outlets for enjoyment, thus making it the world's most popular breed.

Oustanding Lines

WIMPY
Bred and raised on the King Ranch in Kingsville, Texas, Wimpy was honored as the 1941 Fort Worth Exposition and Fat Stock Show grand champion stallion. With this honor, Wimpy achieved everlasting recognition in the American Quarter Horse world by receiving Number 1 in the AQHA registry. Wimpy garnered the reputation of being an excellent sire which produced great sons and daughters. During his stay at the King Ranch, Wimpy sired 170 foals that were registered with AQHA. His progeny included one AQHA champion, four Performance Registers of Merit and numerous halter and performance point earners.

KING
Once proclaimed as the greatest horse of his time, King has become one of the American Quarter Horse industry's cornerstones. While he never won any performance points, King established a dynasty. He sired 20 AQHA Champions, 84 Performance Registers of Merit, 12 Racing Registers of Merit, three Superior Halter Award winners and 10 Superior Performance Award winners. At the time that King was born, there wasn't an American Quarter Horse Association. His conformation would later set the standard for American Quarter Horse judging for more than a decade. King died of a heart attack in 1958 but even now, the American Quarter Horse industry is influenced by third, fourth and fifth generation King-bred horses.

LEO
In the early years of the American Quarter Horse industry, Leo was known primarily as a sizzling speed horse. Later, he gained a hefty reputation of being a leading sire. Both his sons and daughters excelled on the track and in the show ring. The many titles won by Leo's offspring proved he not only sired speed, but also athletic ability, including 24 AQHA Champions, 33 Performance Registers of Merit, 211 Race Registers of Merit, four Superior Halter Awards, two Superior Performance Awards, eight Superior Race Awards, one Supreme Champion and four Racing World Champions. These traits were passed down from generation to generation and many of Leo's sons and daughters became leading producers of quality foals. Although no one knows for sure, Leo reportedly won 20 of 22 races in his career but he will most be remembered for his outstanding offspring which have strengthened the American Quarter Horse industry.

DOC BAR
Although not bred to be a cow horse, Doc Bar is best remembered as the horse which revolutionized the cutting horse industry. By Lightning Bar and out of Dandy Doll, Doc Bar was bred for speed, but only won $95 in four starts. Doc Bar wasn't a performance horse either but turned out to be a good halter horse and an excellent sire whose foal crops totally redefined the sport of cutting. Not only did his sons and daughters find success in the cutting arena, but they also found success in other performance events including working cow horse, reining and western pleasure. According to AQHA records, Doc Bar sired 485 foals which earned over 7,000 halter and performance pointsand 27 AQHA Champions.
Doc Bar is credited with bringing a totally different look to cutting horses and for putting the sweeping motion into the cutting horses of today.

GO MAN GO
From the word GO, he was a champion. Go Man Go would dominate the American Quarter Horse racing scene like no other in history. Aptly named, Go Man Go was foaled in 1953, and although neither his mother nor father raced, he quickly proved he had the ability of a champion. In his career, Go Man Go earned many honors. Three times he was named World Champion Racing American Quarter Horse, including becoming the first 2-year-old to ever claim that honor. He earned multiple divisional titles, set three track records and a world record, equaled a world record and became one of the greatest sires in American Quarter Horse racing.

EASY JET
Perhaps no other racing American Quarter Horse has had a greater or more controversial racing career than Easy Jet. During his 2-year-old campaign, he was loaded into the gates 26 times, a feat that some think would have crippled most juveniles. Despite the criticism, he won 22 races that year, including the All American, Kansas, Sunland Fall, Columbus Triple Crown and the All-American Quarter Horse Congress Futurities. He was named World Champion Quarter Running Horse, Champion Stallion and Champion 2-Year-Old Colt. He hit the track again as a 3-year-old and was just as successful, attaining the titles of World Champion Racing American Quarter Horse and Champion Quarter Running 3-Year-Old Colt. He retired with 38 career starts that included 27 firsts, seven seconds and two thirds. As a sire, Easy Jet was equally impressive. By the end of 1993, his direct offspring had earned more than $25 million on the track. Additionally, he had sired more than 1,500 horses who had gained their Registers of Merit.

DASH FOR CASH
Even if you have never set foot inside a race track or imagined the impact of a 55-mile-per-hour gust on a person clinging to the back of a horse, more than likely you have heard the name Dash For Cash. Arguably, Dash For Cash was the greatest sire of racing American Quarter Horses ever. His own racing statistics speak for themselves. In 1976 and 1977 he was Racing World Champion, Superior Racehorse in 1976 and set two track records. He won 21 of 25 starts, which included nine stakes races from 1975-1978. Additionally, he finished first or second in every race he entered except for one. He sired 1,353 foals that made him a living legend. Dash For Cash's offspring have earned more than $37 million on the track, one AQHA Supreme Championship, 880 Registers of Merit, 39 world championships and 135 stakes winners.

REFRIGERATOR
With career earnings of $2,126,309, Refrigerator is the only American Quarter Horse to exceed the $2-million mark. In six racing campaigns, this gelding won 22 of 36 races, including 11 stakes wins. In addition to capturing the All-American Futurity (G1), Refrigerator is the only horse to capture three runnings of the prestigious Champion of Champions (G1) race. Some of his career highlights include two World Championships and the 400-yard stakes record for the All American Futurity. Although Refrigerator hasn't been named a Hall of Fame horse yet, the richest American Quarter Horse is almost as good a bet to make it there as he was on the track.
the Silver Spur Award
The Academy Award for Horses
The Silver Spur Award started in 1991. It is one of the highest awards an American Quarter Horse can receive and is presented only when the contributions of the horse command such an honor.

A list of Winners

Plain Justin Bar, who played "Cisco" in "Dances With Wolves"
s owned by Redstone Farm of Pilot Point, Texas. The gelding is by Impressive Dan out of the Modesto Rocket mare Plain Pearl Bar.

Gills Bay Boy, known as "Scamper" to rodeo fans He is the horse of World Champion barrel racer Charmayne Rodman, in 1993

Docs Keepin Time, the star of Warner Brothers "Black Beauty" in 1994. In addition to "Black Beauty," he played the part of the rearing horse in the Busch Beer commercials, performed in a rock music video, and captured the hearts of Americans in the television series "The Black Stallion," and played the role of Gulliver in Robert Redford's screen adaptation of "The Horse Whisperer."