The American Quarter Horse

What is the American Quarter Horse?  "He's half a ton of poised and controlled energy, held on an easy rein and a hair trigger.  He's a workin' man who can earn his keep on the range all week - and be a handsome dandy at the track on Sunday afternoon.  He's proud when he stands; looks lazy when he walks but when he runs he can whip the tears from the corners of your eyes and plaster your hat brim against the crown.  He's big in the haunches, supple in the withers, stout in the neck and wide across the chest … to hold his great heart.  He's cow-smart and brave, though sometimes a clown, and to the man with the sky in his eye and mud on his boots the Quarter Horse is a faithful hand …and a friend."^[1]

Just like the people who settled the new world, the American Quarter Horse evolved from a mixture of different breeds to become the first breed native to the United States of America.  The Spanish horses of the conquistadors gone wild as mustangs, Thoroughbreds, Arabians, Morgans, Turks, Barbs, Cleveland Bays, and other draft type breeds were fused together to make a horse that was stout, fast and agile and could rope, bulldog, cut and drive cattle.  He was around 14.3 hands and weighed about 1100 pounds, had short muscular legs, huge hindquarters and a quiet disposition.

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

In 1756, a Virginia planter named Mordecai Booth imported from England a ten-year-old chestnut Thoroughbred named Janus.  Sired by Old Janus, he was a grandson of the Godolophin Arabian.  Janus was a compact horse, standing slightly less than 14.1 hands.  He was well muscled, had one white hind foot, and a specked rump.  He was noted for his especially powerful hindquarters.  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 in the James River area of Virginia.  After Janus had outlived his usefulness as a racehorse, he spent the remainder of his life at stud.  Janus produced distinguished racing mares, but only when he was bred to quarter racing stock did his brilliance as a sire become evident.  Since quarter racing was most popular in southern Virginia and North Carolina, Janus was brought to that area for breeding.  There he sired numerous distinguished racers, such as Babram (1766) and Twigg (1778).  In old age, Janus was purchased by Senator John Goode, who wished to bring the horse back to his Virginia home, and at age 34 Janus began the long walk to Virginia.  He became ill on the road, however, and remained at Colonel Haynes' plantation in Warren County, North Carolina, where he died in late 1780 or early 1781.

Another famous and highly influential horse was Sir Archy.  Sir Archy was bred by Colonel John Tayloe III of Mount Airy in Virginia in partnership with Captain Archibald Randolph of Ben Lomond, in Cumberland County.  His dam Castianira had been imported as a two-year old by Tayloe and had little success on the turf before entering the stud.  Her ears were cropped, she was going blind, and tradition says she was less than handsome.  However, when bred to the grand old Diomed, she produced the immortal Sir Archy.

Sir Archy was probably born at Tree Hill, near Richmond, Virginia, where Diomed was standing.  He was first named Robert Burns, which name was later changed by Tayloe to Sir Archie, in honor of his partner.  Randolph sold his half-interest in the colt to Tayloe's nephew Ralph Wormeley VI of Rosegill, in Middlesex County, and Tayloe quickly followed suit, with Wormeley becoming the sole owner of Sir Archy.

His turf career began at the age of three.  Suffering from the lingering effects of a bout of distemper, he was distanced in his first start by Coles' Bright Phoebus (c.  1804), a brother to Miller's Damsel, the future dam of American Eclipse.  Faring slightly better in his second and final start as a three-year old, Sir Archy placed fourth in the Fairfield Sweepstakes won by Carolinian (1805), a son of Marmaduke Johnson's Medley Mare, and raced by the eminent trainer William Ransom Johnson.  Meanwhile, Wormeley had decided to disperse his racing stable, and Johnson's glimpse of Sir Archy was enough to precipitate the colt's purchase on the spot.

Sir Archy wintered at Johnson's stables in Warrenton, North Carolina.  With no trace of his previous year's illness his four-year old season started well.  In his first start in the spring he beat Wrangler (1805) in the Post Stakes at Fairfield, although Wrangler had won the previous day's Jockey Club Purse and was thought to be tired.  The two colts met again two weeks later for the Jockey Club Purse at Petersburg, 4-mile heats, with Wrangler winning the first heat in impressive style.  In the second heat Sir Archy finished so strongly that the judges took considerable time to award the heat, and the race, to Wrangler.  Johnson challenged Wrangler's owner, Miles Selden, to rerun the heat, adding a hefty bet, but Selden declined.

Johnson rested Sir Archy until the fall when the stable moved to Richmond.  Sir Archy faced off against Wrangler again for the Jockey Club Purse there.  There was some doubt that Sir Archy could survive the 4 mile heats given his weight gain over the summer, but in the first heat, although Wrangler led for two miles, Sir Archy flew by the field and distanced them all, gradually slowing to walk over the finish line and win the heat and the race.  At Newmarket (Petersburg) the following week, Sir Archy distanced the field again to win the Jockey Club Purse in a single heat.  His final race occurred at the Scotland Neck course in Halifax, North Carolina.  General Carney's highly regarded colt Blank, was the only horse who would face him, but Sir Archy beat him by about a length in both heats.  The time for the first heat at 7:52 was the fastest four miles seen thus far, south of the James River.

The remarkable thing about Sir Archy's turf career, of seven starts and four wins, was the impression he made upon those who saw him.  Johnson himself said, "I have only to say, that in my opinion Sir Archie is the best horse I ever saw." No one knows how fast Sir Archy could have run four miles; he was never extended.  General William R.  Davie, among the spectators at Scotland Neck, was so impressed that he purchased Sir Archy for the then stratospheric sum of $5000 and immediately retired him to stud.

He made his first season at the New Hope plantation, in Halifax County, owned by Davie's son Allen Jones Davie.  Leased for the following year, 1811, by William Ransom Johnson, he stood at the Oaklands stud near Petersburg, Virginia, which belonged to Dr.  George Evans, Johnson's father-in-law.  W.  E.  Broadnax stood him in 1812 and then he returned to New Hope until 1815.  In 1816 he was leased to Edmund Irby who stood him at Nottoway, Virginia, returning in 1817 to Davie for that season.  In 1818 he was sold to William Amis and stood at the Amis plantation Mowfield (sometimes spelled Moorfield) in Northampton County, North Carolina.  When Amis died in 1823, his son John D.  Amis inherited Sir Archy, and he remained at Mowfield until his death in 1833.

Sir Archy's influence at stud was unprecedented in North America.  Year after year he continued to sire exceptional sons and daughters and when his offspring went to stud they did the same.  He earned the nickname "The Godolphin Arabian of America", the Godolphin Arabian having made such a profound impact on English bloodstock that it was noted in the General Stud Book.  Hervey said "Before nor since, nothing has been known in America to equal the manner in which the Archys dominated both turf and stud for over half a century, beginning with the debut of his first crop of foals, in 1814 and culminating with the last of the sixteen seasons of premiership of his inbred great-grandson Lexington in 1878."

One of the strengths often attributed to the offspring of Sir Archy, like those of his 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 each other.  The excellent race mare Old Flirtilla (1820 by Sir Archy) bred Flirtilla (1828 by Sir Archy), and the line continued to Lady Blessington (1861) and well beyond.  Henry (1819) who faced American Eclipse in epic battle was by Sir Archy from an unnamed daughter of Diomed.  Sir Charles (1826 by Sir Archy) got Bonnets o' Blue (1827) from Reality (1813 by Sir Archy).  Bonnets o' Blue produced the superlative race mare Fashion (1837) who defeated Boston (1833), a grandson of Sir Archy and the sire of Lexington (1850).

Others among the legions of Sir Archy offspring deserving mention are Walk-in-the-Water (1813), also called Young Timoleon, who was said to have "won more races, run more miles and traveled farther than any other horse that ever lived"; Bertrand (1821) who was probably Sir Archy's best son next to Sir Charles; Irby's Contention (1815) who won fifteen of twenty-three starts, ten of them in succession; Lady Lightfoot (1812) the celebrated race mare and dam of the illustrious Bay Maria (1831); Stockholder (1819) who sired numberless winners, among them Betsey Malone (1829) from whom descended Emperor of Norfolk (1885) and Yo Tambien (1889); Sumpter (1818) who won eight consecutive races and sired Miss Obstinate (1829) and Yarico (1831); and Timoleon (1814) who sired Boston.

Sir Archy died at Mowfield in June of 1833.  Trevathan sums up his impact, "He got more distinguished racers than any horse in America, perhaps in the world, from all sorts of mares, with all kinds of pedigrees, and some with no pedigrees at all.  It might be said with truth that he filled a hemisphere with his get."

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

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

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

Steel Dust was brought into Texas by Middleton Perry and Jones Greene in 1844.  They settled down near the present site of Lancaster in what is now Dallas County.  Steel Dust matured into a stallion a little over 15 hands in height.  He soon had a reputation for speed and it is clear that the reputation of Steel Dust was such that a lot of Texans referred to his progeny as “Steel Dust Horses” and wanted and obtained colts that he had sired. 

After siring many colts throughout his life, he died in 1864, during the War Between the States, while his owner, Mid Perry, was away serving the Confederacy.  Steel Dust is buried on Mid Perry's old farm, on Ten Mile Creek.  ^[2]

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

The most famous of all sires in the establishment of the Quarter Horse breed was Peter McCue, foaled in 1895, and bred by Samuel Watkins of Petersburg, Illinois.  Peter McCue was registered as a Thoroughbred but evidence was later presented that he was not sired by the horse indicated in his official pedigree but was instead sired by Dan Tucker, who in turn traced his male line through Steel Dust to Shiloh.  Peter McCue stood for service in Texas, western Oklahoma, and in Colorado, and most modern Quarter Horses trace to him.  Of the 11,510 Quarter Horses that have been registered prior to January 1, 1948, 2,304 of them traced in male line to Peter McCue through his sons, grandsons and great-grandsons.  Traveler was the only horse that approached him in importance of male lines with 749 similar descendants that has been registered up to that date.  Of the first nineteen horses registered by the AQHA (all stallions), twelve of them were descended from Peter McCue.

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

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

Coke T.  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 who he saw dragging a freight wagon.  Old Fred was thought to have been sired around 1893 and although his pedigree is unknown he is thought to have been a Shiloh - Steel Dust cross.  Si Dawson was a neighbor of Roberds who bought Peter McCue.  When Dawson died Peter McCue was given to Roberds and crossed on his Steel Dust and Old Fred mares. 

From Peter McCue and/or Old Fred crosses (though not all bred by Dawson or Roberds) came such great horses as Harmon Baker, Hickory Bill, Sheik, Old Nick, John Wilkens, Buck Thomas, Jack McCue,  Plaudit and Skipper W.[3]  (Pioneer Breeder, Warren Shoemaker, by Robert Denhardt, Western Horseman, July 1988).

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

On the King Ranch around 1914, Bob Kleberg started probably the most famous breeding program in Quarter Horse history.  He started with a band of mainly Thoroughbred mares bought by Caesar Kleberg.  Here he acquired the Old Sorrel in 1918 and bred him to these mares to produce the likes of Wimpy (Champion of the Fort Worth Show, 1940), Macanudo, Peppy, Babe Grande and Charro. 

King began by mating the native mares that roamed South Texas to imported Thoroughbreds to refine the native stock and to increase its height for navigating through the brush that covers the land.  When King died, Robert M.  Kleberg, Sr., Robert J.  Kleberg, Jr., and Caesar Kleberg succeeded to the King Ranch’s horse breeding program.

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

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

John Jackson Hancock was raised near Spanish Fort, Texas and eventually moved to Perryton, Texas, where he ran a band of 35 to 40 broodmares with a roan stallion called Old Deck, a son of little Danger (thought to be by Cold Deck).  These mares were of Steel Dust type breeding.^[4]  Out of one of these mares (thought to be half Percheron) was bred Joe Hancock.  Foaled in 1923, Joe Hancock was by John Wilkens (by Peter McCue).  Bought by Tom Burnett of the 6666s after his horse lost a race to Joe Hancock, he was taken to Burnett's Triangle Ranch.

Some of the horses produced from Joe Hancocks sire line are:  Red Man and Texas Tom by Joe Tom, War Chief and Little Joe the Wrangler

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

The famous stallion King was bred on the ranch 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 Traveler.  In 1937 Win Dubose sold King to Jess Hankin for $800. 

Bert Wood of Arizona found Joe Reed II (born 1935) on a visit to Texas in 1941.  Joe Reed II was by Joe Reed from Nellene, a half sister to Red Joe of Arizona.  He was unbroken and unraced.  He had just sired a colt named Leo by Little Fanny (a Joe Reed Daughter).  Although injured Wood raced against some of the Nations fastest short distance horses, and he beat the likes of Clabber and Shu Fly.  Joe Reed was bred by the Woods and produced some outstanding horses including Firebrand Reed, Little Sister W, Gusdusted, Joak and Bulls Eye. 

In 1941 Hank Wiescamp purchased 92 horses from the estate of N.T.  Baca.  These horses were bred from A.D.  Reed (son of Peter McCue).  Most of these horses he sold, but kept 10 to 15 mares which he bred to Booger, Lucky (son of Booger) and Clark Gable (son of Captain Alcock [TB]).

About 1941 he acquired Barney Owens, a Quarter Horse type bred by W.J.  Francis of Floyd, New Mexico in 1929.  Barney Owens was a son of Jack McCue (by Peter McCue) out of Maud (by Shorty).  Barney Owens was a dark chestnut who stood about 14.2 HH.  He was bred to the Baca mares then to Old Fred mares.  He is mainly known for producing good broodmares.

History of the AQHA

Although some written breeding records had been kept, there was no formal registry for the American Quarter Horse in the early twentieth century.  William Anson, a Texas rancher began researching the breed in the late 1800’s.  He is credited with tracing the origin of the American Quarter Horse to colonial times and preserved the history and pedigrees of the breed.  More research on the American quarter horse and its claim to being a distinct breed was done by Robert Denhardt.  After accepting a teaching position at Texas A&M University, Denhardt began to research Steeldust horses.  Both Anson and Denhardt provided research that formed the basis for a registry.  In March 1939, at the Southwestern Exposition and Fat Stock Show, Denhardt met with several breeders and presented his idea for a breed association.  During the next year Denhardt wrote more articles on the American quarter horse and visited with people involved with the breed.  On March 14, 1940, a group of interested livestock industry leaders gathered in Fort Worth for another meeting that led to the formation of the American Quarter Horse Association.  Hosting the meeting in their home were Mr.  and Mrs.  James Goodwin Hall.  Mrs.  Hall was the daughter of Thomas L.  Burnett and the granddaughter of Samuel Burk Burnett, who founded the Four Sixes ranch.  Some of those on hand for the meeting were Robert J.  Kleberg, George A.  Clegg, Dan and Jack Casement, W.  B.  Warren, Walter Hudgins, J.  H.  Minnick, and Denhardt.  The next evening, March 15, 1940, seventy-five people gathered for a third meeting, where a charter for the organization was presented by Denhardt, stock was sold, directors were elected, and bylaws were adopted.  Included in the by laws was the mission statement: "The purpose of this Association shall be to collect, record and preserve the pedigrees of Quarter Horses in America, to publish a stud book and registry, and to stimulate any and all other matters such as may pertain to the history, breeding, exhibiting, publicity, sale, or improvements of this breed in America."

The first elected AQHA officers were: W.  B.  Warren, president; Jack Hutchins, first vice president; Lee Underwood, second vice president; Jim Hall, treasurer; and Bob Denhardt, secretary.  Denhardt 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 requirements based on conformation, pedigree, and performance in both show arenas and races.  Before the meeting adjourned, the 75 attendees had drafted the following:

 

"Conformation of the Ideal Quarter Horse":

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The first AQHA approved show was held in July 1940 during the Texas Cowboy Reunion at Stamford.  Serving as judge was J.  H.  Minnick, an AQHA director.  Another milestone was set during the 1941 Southwestern Exposition and Fat Stock Show in Fort Worth, when the King Ranch-bred Wimpy, by virtue of being named the grand champion stallion, was designated as P1 in the AQHA Stud Book.  Conformation standards, pedigrees, and performance have been the mainstay of present American quarter horses.  Today, the American quarter horse has a small head and medium length neck blending with a powerful chest and hind quarters.  Heights range from 14.3 to 15.1 hands and weights from 1,100 to 1,300 pounds.  AQHA recognizes thirteen colors, five leg markings, and seven face markings of registered horses.  Breeding for arena events, as well as races, strengthened the athleticism and disposition of the American quarter horse, making it the world's most versatile breed.  AQHA maintains pedigrees of 3.1 million registered American quarter horses, making the breed the world's largest.  The association sanctions 2,300 AQHA-approved shows and American quarter horse races at 110 racetracks in North America.

Breed Characteristics

Since the creation of the American Quarter Horse Association more than 50 years ago, breeders have been perfecting the bloodlines of the American Quarter Horse to produce a high quality, versatile animal.  AQHA has set forth a strict set of guidelines regarding registration of American Quarter Horses.  American Quarter 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.  In addition, 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, grulla, palomino, red roan and blue roan.  The official gray color is what most people call white, but it's interesting to note that there are no "white" American Quarter Horses.

Beyond their appearance, a registered American Quarter Horse foal (baby) is the product of a numbered American Quarter Horse dam (mare or mother) and a numbered American Quarter Horse sire (stallion or father).  AQHA also offers an appendix registry for foals with one numbered American Quarter Horse parent and one Thoroughbred parent registered with The Jockey Club.

Other identifiable characteristics of the breed are heavy muscling, sprinter's speed, versatility, keen cow sense and a gentle nature.  From the past where the American Quarter Horse origins can be traced to ranching and racing, to the present where American Quarter Horses excel in a variety of events, the American Quarter Horse gives an individual many outlets for enjoyment, thus making it the world's most popular breed.

 

 

Famous Quarter Horses

Peter McCue

1895-1923  Still one of the most recognizable names in Quarter horse history.  Peter McCue went on to sire Harmon Baker, Hickory Bill, John Wilkins and many other greats.  The list goes on and on.

 

 

Oklahoma Star P-6

1915-1943  It has been said that there have been only two real sires of rope horses in Oklahoma, and Oklahoma Star P-6 was one of them.

 

 

1915-1946  Old Sorrel founded a dynasty of performance horses for the King Ranch.   Even today, his bloodline can be found in the winners of every working event for which the Quarter Horse is acclaimed.

 

 

Midnight

1916-1936  He passed his speed and working ability to succeeding generations.  Born looking black he matured into a flea-bitten gray as he matured.  At one point in his match racing career, Midnight had become so successful nobody would race against him.

 

 

Gonzales Joe Baily

1919-1947  Gonzales Joe Bailey was designated as one of the 19 AQHA foundation sires.  For a quarter century after Joe's Death, south Texas abounded with good-minded, soundly built horses.  He was a horse that could do it all.

 

 

Joe Hancock

1923-1943           One of the all-time great sires of rope horses.  Before his career was over, Joe was open to the world at any distance from the starting line to 3/8ths of a mile.

 

 

Cowboy P-12

1927-1945             It was said, Cowboy P-12 was one of the finest horses who ever lived.  He had a wonderful disposition and passed it on to his colts.

 

 

Plaudit

1930-1958               All his colts had speed.  We could breed him to a Percheron and get something fast.  He was smart, had a good disposition, and was classy looking.

 

 

King P-234

1932-1958  King, one of the Quarter Horse industry's cornerstones.  His conformation set the standard for Quarter Horse judging for more than a decade.

 

 

Bert

1934-1956  It was said that Bert was a ropers dream.  There was an overwhelming demand for Bert horses and every cowboy in the country wanted one.  As you can see Bert had powerful hindquarters.

 

 

Driftwood

1932-1960  A great match race horse, Driftwood is best remembered as a sire of outstanding performance horses.  While other racehorses were high, Drifty always kept his cool.

 

 

Peppy P-212

1934-1964Peppy was linebred to Old Sorrel.  He was a success in both showing and breeding.  Peppy was cool, calm, level-headed and kind.

 

 

Clabber

1936-1947  He was nicknamed the Iron Horse because he stayed sound in spite of years of hard use.  Clabber was a powerfully made horse who could pass on his speed and durability

 

 

Lucky Blanton

1936-1960           This chestnut stallion was a top rope horse and rope horse sire, the majority of his offspring stayed on ranches or were used in the rodeo arena.

 

 

Joe Reed II

1936-1962  Joe Reed II was not only a top race horse but also a halter winner.  Some horses are born to run and Joe Reed II was one.

 

 

Wimpy P-1

1937-1959  Wimpy a double bred Old Sorrel achieved everlasting recognition in the world of Quarter Horses by being awarded the number 1 in the AQHA registry.

 

 

Leo

1940-1967 Leo carved his niche as a sizzling speed horse, but then he cemented his reputation by becoming one of the all-time great sires.  Leo sired athletic ability as well as speed.

 

 

Hollywood Gold

1940-1964           Hollywood Gold was always good-natured.  He had tremendous stamina, good feet and legs.  He passed most of his positive qualities to his offspring.

 

 

Three Bars

1940-1968  Three Bars has had as much impact on the Quarter Horse Breed as any horse in history.  Three bars left his mark in racing, halter, cutting and other arena performance events.

 

 

Grey Badger II

1941-1972             He was a sizzling speed horse with legs of iron.  He demolished almost every horse matched against him.  The gray stallion's legs lasted long enough to eventually be raced against his own foals.  By the time if his death, his descendants already begun to prove themselves worthy of his greatness.

 

 

Hard Twist

1942 – 1962  Hard Twist earned a AAA rating and a racing Register of Merit.  He made an amazing comeback at the age of 8, setting track records.  1946 World Champion Quarter Running Stallion and 1951 Co-World Champion Quarter Running Stallion.

 

 

Jessie James

1943-1971          He was considered to be one of the greatest cutting horses to ever look through a bridle.

 

 

Poco Bueno

1944-1969  Put Poco Bueno in a cutting arena and he became a blur of lighting-fast speed.  He and his sire, King P-234, were destined to become one of the industry's most famous father/son teams.